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I 





CATECHISM 


OP THE 

DEVOTION TO THE 

SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

BY K. F. R. PIEKIK, S. J. 


FROM THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART. 



SUPPLIED AT THE OFFICE OF THE MESSENGER, 
WOODSTOCK, HOWARD CO., MD. 

187 4 . 



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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 
B. SESTINI, S. J. 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



\,j\ 

J. PAGAN & SON. 
STEREOTYPE FOUNDERS, 
PHILADELPHIA. 



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PREFACE. 


T HE little treatise of which the present is 
a translation, was published in Dutch, at 
Bois-le-Duc, by Fr. R. Pierick, S. J. Fifteen 
thousand copies were bought up in a few 
months by the Catholics of Holland. Fr. 
Broeckaert’s French edition, from which our 
version is made, has been equally successful. 

The Catechism unites clearness and brevity 
with theological exactness. 

May the present edition meet with the 
same favor as the preceding, and assist to 
spread and promote ever more and more the 
knowledge of, and the devotion to, the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus. 

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CONTENTS 


PART FIRST. 

The Nature of the Devotion to the Saceed 
Heart. 

LESSON PAGE 

I. General Notion of the Devotion . . 7 

II. The Object of the Devotion to the Sacred 

Heart 9 

III. The End of the Devotion to the Sacred 

Heart 14 

IV. Motives of this Devotion ... 18 

Y. The Emblems which surround the Heart 

of Jesus 25 

YI. The Privileges attached to the Devotion 

to the Sacred Heart of Jesus . . 29 

PART SECOND. 

Origin and Propagation of the Devotion 
to the Sacred Heart. 

I. Various Epochs in the History of the De- 
votion — prefigured in the Old Law, 
realized on Calvary, and fully accom- 
plished in our own time . . .34 

II. Devotion to the Heart of Jesus before the 

Revelation to Blessed Margaret Mary. 39 
1* v 


VI 


CONTENTS 


LESSON PAGE . 

III. Origin of the Universal Devotion to the 

Sacred Heart 44 

IV. Propagation of the Devotion to the Sa- 

cred Heart . . . . ' . .50 

PART THIRD. 

Practices of Devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

I. On Devotional Practices in General . 58 

II. Interior Practices of Devotion to the Sa- 
cred Heart 60 

III. Special Exterior Practices of Devotion to 

the Sacred Heart 62 

• IV. Other Practices of Devotion to the Sa- 
cred Heart 67 

V. Pictures of the Sacred Heart . . .70 

VI. The Novena of the Sacred Heart . 73 

VII. The Arch-confraternity of the Sacred 

Heart and the Apostleship of Prayer. 75 

VIII. The Agonizing Heart of Jesus — Litera- 
ture of the Devotion . . . .80 

IX. (and last.) — The Immaculate Heart of 
Mary 


84 


CATECHISM OF THE 


DEVOTION TO 

THE HEART OF JESUS. 

PART FIRST. 

The Nature of the Devotion to 
the Sacred Heart. 

Lesson I. — General Notion of the Devotion. 

Question 1. What must he considered in 
order to understand the character and nature 
of a devotion t 

Answer. Three things : the object, end, 
and motives of the devotion, for on these 
its character and nature necessarily depend. 

Q. 2. From whom can we learn these 
three things t 

A. From the Church, which is the pillar 

7 


8 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


and the ground of truth , and from those 
who teach us in her name. 

Q. 3. Is there anything else that can en- 
lighten us on this point ? 

A. Yes, the very manner in which Jesus 
teaches His Church. Thus, for all that 
concerns the devotion to the Sacred Heart, 
it is to Jesus Himself that the Church 
sends us, for He it is that first taught it. 
In respect to this, therefore, we must dwell 
principally on our Lord’s own words, His 
miracles and works. 

Q. 4. Can you , from the teaching of our 
blessed Lord , determine in general the nature 
of this devotion f 

A. We are thereby taught that the de- 
votion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an 
act of religion, which has for its object the 
adorable Heart of Jesus Christ, inflamed 
with love for men, and saddened by their 
ingratitude — whose end and aim is to 
honor this Divine Heart by every testimony 
of veneration that love and gratitude can 
inspire, and above all to repair the out- 
rages which it receives in the sacrament 
of its love. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


9 


Q. 5. What are the chief points deter- 
mined by this brief explanation of the devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart f 

A. The object of the devotion is the 
Heart of Jesus, and its end is reparation 
for the offences committed against the 
love of Jesus. From the consideration of 
this object and this end are derived the 
motives of the devotion. 

Q. 6. What conclusion may we draw 
from all this t 

A. That in order to understand well all 
that relates to this holy devotion, it will 
be well to study seriously these three 
things — its object, its end, and its motives. 


Lesson II. — The Object of the Devotion to the 
Sacred Heart . 

Question 1. What do you understand by 
the object of a devotion f 

Answer. That which it proposes to our 
veneration. 

Q. 2. Under what aspects may this object 
be viewed t 


10 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION - 


A. Either in itself or in relation to 
other objects with which it is connected. 

Q. 3. What is the purport of this dis- 
tinction t 

A. It serves to remind us that every 
feast and every devotion which regards 
the sacred humanity of Jesus, has a two- 
fold object : one visible and material, the 
other invisible and spiritual. Both of 
these are united, ,but this is peculiar to 
each : that the spiritual object communi- 
cates its own worth and merit to the 
material object, whilst it is the material 
object that lends its name to the particular 
devotion or feast in question. 

Q. 4. Can you illustrate this by example f 

A. The devotion to the five wounds has 
for its material and visible object the 
wounds in our Lord’s body : but its invis- 
ible and spiritual object is the suffering 
which these wounds caused our Blessed 
Lord. Again, the devotion to the holy 
Cross has for its material object the Cross 
itself, and for its spiritual object Jesus 
crucified, working on the Cross the salva- 
tion of our souls. The merit of these de- 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


11 


votions is drawn from their spiritual object, 
their name from their material object. 

Q. 5. But when there is question of any 
devotion such as that of the five wounds , the 
holy Gross , etc., would it not seem that the 
person of Jesus is the object of the devotion t 

A. This is true: and on this account 
spiritual writers are wont to distinguish 
the final object from the material and 
the spiritual object of a devotion. The 
final object leads us to the very person of 
Jesus, and it is in Him that the devotion 
finally rests. 

Q. 6. In the devotion to the Sacred Heart , 
what is the material object from which it de- 
rives its name t 

A. The holy and adorable heart of 
Jesus. 

Q. 7. Do you mean the material heart 
of flesh exclusively f 

A. By no means, though it is indeed 
our Lord’s Heart of flesh that I have in 
view — that Heart, like to ours in every- 
thing except sin and the imperfections of 
nature. But it is here viewed as united 
with the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the 
other members of His Sacred Body. 


12 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 8. What is the spiritual object of the 
devotion to the Sacred Heart f 

A. The love of Jesus. It is this love, 
as has been said, that gives to the material 
object its worth and its transcendent merit, 
whilst the Heart has given its name to the 
devotion itself. 

Q. 9. What is the final object of this de- 
votion ? 

A. Jesus Himself, His Divine Person, 
whom I honor when I honor His Heart, 
and in whom every devotion must end as 
in its final term. 

Q. 10. Can the expressions of others who 
seem to speak differently on this subject be 
explained in the foregoing sense f 

A. Yes. These writers may justly say : 
“The object of this devotion is Jesus 
Christ honored in the noblest part of His 
sacred Humanity, His Heart.” For in 
truth we honor Jesus in His Heart and 
for His Heart, but while considering His 
Heart as the furnace of His Soul. 

Q. 11. What are the three words that 
may sum up the various objects of this devo- 
tion f 


TO THE SACKED HEART. 


13 


A. Heart, Love, Jesus. I worship this 
Heart for the love which Jesus testifies to 
us in it. 

Q. 12. Is all this indicated in the words 
which Jesus Himself uttered t 

A. Yes. Pointing to His Heart, He 
said : “ Behold this Heart which has loved 
men so much. 5 ’ He thus gave His Heart 
as the sensible and material object, the 
love which He assigned to His Heart, and 
Himself as the final object of the devo- 
tion to be awakened amongst His faithful 
as the spiritual object. 

Q. 13. What results from this manner of 
considering the devotion to the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus f 

A. That we never separate the Heart 
of Jesus from His Divine Person, that 
consequently we can address to this Heart 
our prayers and our offerings, and that the 
very act by which we adore this Heart, is 
one and the same act with that by which 
we adore the Man-God. 

Q. 14. This object is then supereminently 
perfect t 

A. Yes: as Jesus Christ, whose divinity 
2 — Dev. 


14 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


gives it all its merit, is supereminently 
perfect. The love which inflames this 
Heart is not only the love of a man, it is 
also the love of God. 

Q. 15. When you looh on any picture of 
Jesus showing you His Divine Heart, can 
you represent to yourself all that has here 
been said f 

A. Readily. The Heart which He dis- 
plays to me is the immediate, sensible, 
material object which I venerate. This 
Heart itself is an emblem of love, and 
this love, which is the spiritual object of 
my veneration, is besides represented to 
me by the flames which surround the 
Heart. In fine, the person who shows it 
to me is Jesus, to whom reverts all the 
homage which is exhibited. I honor, then, 
Jesus Himself, for His love in His Heart, 
which is the furnace of that love. 


Lesson III. — The End of the Devotion to the 
Sacred Heart. 

Question 1. Has the devotion to the Heart 
of Jesus a fixed end t 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


15 


Answer. Certainly. Like every devo- 
tion, this devotion has its peculiar and 
particular end. 

Q. 2. What is this end ? 

A. To give Jesus love for love. 

Q. 3. But is not that the end of every 
devotion f 

A. In a certain sense, it is. Yet it 
specially belongs to this devotion to de- 
mand our whole hearts for the whole Heart 
of Jesus. 

Q. 4. Is there no means of determining 
more strictly the special end of this devotion ? 

A. Nothing more is needed for this 
purpose than to reflect on the express wish 
of our blessed Lord and on the nature of 
the love which His Heart represents to us. 

Q. 5. Why so f 

A. Because Jesus has expressly taught 
that by this devotion He does not call our 
attention to His love in general, but to His 
love outraged and contemned, and that we 
are therefore to honor Him abo vfi all m 
His sufferings and[ in the hoFy sacram ent 
of ttie altarT striving to repair. as far as we 
can the outrage s He receives in that sac- 


16 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


rament from infidels and sinners. The 
very nature of love exacts that he who 
loves should, in addition, be burning with 
zeal for his Beloved, and should labor to 
become like Him. 

Q. 6. What conclusion do you draw from 
this, with regard to the end of this devotion f 

A. That its general end — namely, the 
love and gratitude which we owe to Jesus 
for His love to us — ’includes other partic- 
ular ends. 

Q. 7. What are these particular ends t 

A. Grateful meditations on the suffer- 
ings of Jesus — loving adoration of the 
most blessed sacrament — the invitation 
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — reparation 
for the insults offered to Jesus by the in- 
gratitude with which men have repaid His 
pains, and the indifference and contempt 
with which, too many treat the ever ador- 
able sacrament of the altar. 

Q. 8. Has Jesus Himself taught us this 
expressly? m 

A. Yes, especially in the most celebrated 
of His apparitions to blessed Margaret 
Mary. He appeared to . her above the 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


17 


altar and tabernacle, while she was ador- 
ing before them, and He spoke of His im- 
mense love, which was repaid with ingrati- 
tude in the very sacrament of His love. 
He showed her the principal emblems of 
His Passion crowning His Heart, and 
begged with earnestness that those who 
loved Him should pray and toil ardently 
in order to gain all hearts to His Heart, 
and to expiate the unpardonable tepidity 
of so many ungrateful men. 

Q. 9. Can you again represent all this to 
yourself when your eyes rest on a picture of 
the Sacred Heart f 

A. Yes. The Heart which Jesus pre- 
sents to me recalls His love, which natu- 
rally demands that I should love Him. 
The flames which surround the Heart 
speak to me again of His infinite love, 
which the Eucharist reveals to me. The 
Cross, the crown of thorns, the gaping 
wound of the Heart — of what do they 
speak to me but His cruel Passion and 
bitter sufferings ? And if I notice Jesus’ 
gaze fixed upon me, and His right hand 
seeming to ask for my heart, do I not 
2* B 


18 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


hear the words, “ Learn of Me, for I am 
meek and humble of heart Follow Me ”? 

Q. 10. Repeat this explanation more 
briefly. 

A. The Heart signifies the love of grati- 
tude, and this is the general end of the 
devotion. The aureola of rays of fire is 
the blessed sacrament ; the emblems recall 
the Passion ; and these are the particular 
ends of the devotion. The necessity of 
imitating and following Jesus springs from 
the very nature of love. 


Lesson IV. — Motives of this Devotion. 

Question 1. What do you mean by the 
motives of a devotion f 

Answer. All that draws us to embrace 
it, and to fulfil the practices it enjoins. 

Q. 2. What are the motives of the devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart t 

A. All that may incline and urge us to 
fix our attention specially on that part of 
the adorable Body of Jesus, which we 


TO THE SACKED HEART. 


19 


name the Heart, and to exhibit towards it 
peculiar honors. 

Q. 3. Do any such special motives exist 
in reference to the Sacred Heart ? 

A. Assuredly. There are very numer- 
ous and powerful motives which impel our 
hearts to honor the Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 4. Which are the chief of these f 

A. In the first place, the object of the 
devotion itself, the Heart of Jesus. Sec- 
ondly, the desire of our blessed Lord, who 
Himself taught and recommended this 
devotion. Thirdly, the favors and graces 
attached to the devotion. Finally, the 
living actuality and seasonableness of this 
devotion, so proper for our age, cold and 
indifferent as it is towards our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

Q. 5. Why do you place the very object of 
the devotion among the motives for cherishing 
it t 

A. Because that object is a Heart, the 
Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 6. What special emphasis in saying 
that the object is a Heart f 

A. Because the Heart — in general — 


20 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


is regarded as the seat and throne of love. 
All nations agree in implying by the 
idioms of their various languages that the 
heart loves, as the ear hears, and as the 
eye sees. This use of the word the Holy 
Scriptures abundantly illustrate. Al- 
though v it is the soul which, by a move- 
ment of the will, gives birth to love, 
nevertheless it is to the heart that we at- 
tribute the emotions of love. Whilst we 
honor, therefore, the Wounds of Jesus, 
His sweet Name, His Holy Cross — these 
witnesses of His love — is it not right to 
fix our thoughts upon His Heart, from 
which His love radiates as from a burning 
furnace ? 

Q. 7. Why have you added 11 The Heart 
of Jesus ” t 

A. Because it is this that constitutes the 
overwhelming force and pre-eminence of 
this motive. Every loving and generous 
heart is worthy of our kindest thoughts 
and affections ; but how much more the 
Heart of Jesus! that Heart which, ac- 
cording to the saints who have honored 
it best, is “ the Treasure of the Divinity, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


21 


the Ark of the Covenant, the source of all 
graces, the throne of love, the fountain of 
life, the ocean of divine mercy, the gate 
of Paradise, the mysterious dwelling of 
the Spouse, His refuge, His place of repose, 
and of His heavenly delights, flowing with 
the sweetest honey.” It is in this or in a 
similar way that St. Bernard , St. Bonaven- 
ture, St. Gertrude , and many others have 
spoken of the Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 8. Have you not placed among the 
motives for practising this devotion our Lord 7 s 
own desire f 

A. Yes. Jesus Himself made this de- 
votion known to us in a manner altogether 
special and singular, and He has clearly 
shown us the wish He has to see us em- 
brace it* 

Q. 9. Has He then done anything par- 
ticular for this end t 

A. Ah! what has he not done? And 
how many times has He repeated it during 
His life and after His death ? In His life- 
time, pointing to His Heart, He said: 
u Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble 
of heart ” Scarcely was He dead, when, 


22 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


while still fastened to the cross, He let His 
Heart be pierced by a spear, that the 
thoughts of all might remain fastened 
there forever. Immediately after His 
resurrection, He appeared to the Apostles 
to show them the wounds still fresh in 
His Heart. In the course of subsequent 
centuries, He inspired many of His Saints 
with devotion to the adorable Heart. 
Finally, when the hour was come, He 
Himself came to establish and propagate 
that devotion in His Church, to teach all 
His faithful children to know better and 
to love better the Heart of their Divine 
Master. 

Q. 10. Did Jesus expressly announce that 
this was His desire t 

A. He did on many occasions; so re- 
peatedly, indeed, and with such force that 
He overcame all the obstacles which op- 
posed the establishment of this devotion. 

Q. 11. Did He employ any special means 
towards this end ? 

A. Several: amongst others, numerous 
miracles, the choice of persons designed 
to spread the devotion over the whole 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


23 


world, the formal promise of privileges 
attached to it by our Lord. These privi- 
leges we have given as the third motive 
urging us to cultivate the devotion to the 
Sacred Heart. 

Q. 12. What are these privileges ? 

A. They shall all be enumerated here- 
after. Three of the most remarkable are 
— first, the graces and indulgences with 
which the Church has enriched this devo- 
tion ; secondly, the richest benedictions of 
the Heart of Jesus promised to all who 
will embrace it, whatever may be their 
condition or state of life — a promise 
made in express terms by Jesus Christ 
Himself; thirdly, a place of predilection 
in the heart of Jesus, that is, in His love, 
with the assurance of having one’s name 
inscribed there as in the Book of Life. 

Q. 13. I now understand all the motives 
you suggested, except the fourth. Why do 
you say that this devotion is peculiarly ap- 
propriate to our age t 

A. Because Jesus Christ has declared it. 
He wished, He said, to make one last 
effort to recall vividly to the world the 


24 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


tenderness of His love, to re-kindle the fire 
He had brought from heaven, and to lend 
to it fresh ardor in these latter days espe- 
cially, when piety and faith have grown 
cold in so many souls. 

Q. 14. But then every Christian ought to 
embrace this devotion f 

A. Yes, if every Christian had a tender 
and noble heart, or rather if all had true 
understanding, and acted according to its 
dictates. 

Q. 15. Is this devotion then necessary for 
all t 

A. In a certain sense we may say so, for 
it is necessary for all to love Jesus, and 
this devotion consists only in His love. 
It is not necessary to offer to God certain 
prayers in honor of the Heart of Jesus, 
nor even to think of it in a special manner; 
but how can a Christian, who loves Jesus 
truly, who gazes on an image of His 
Heart, and who is acquainted with the de- 
votion with which so many honor it — 
how can such a one refuse also to practise 
that devotion? Would he not be drawn 
to it by the natural inspiration of his own 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


25 


heart? When we enjoy the presence of 
one whom we love, our heart, by a myste- 
rious but irresistible attraction, leans to- 
wards his heart. Will it not be so when 
He whom we love is Jesus ? 

Q. 16. Can you discover these various 
motives figured in the picture of the Heart 
of Jesus t 

A. Easily. In the heart of Jesus I see 
the object of my devotion, Him who is 
most loving and most worthy of love. The 
hand which He stretches towards me to 
demand my heart, recalls to me His wishes 
and ardent desires. The flames of love 
indicate His graces. The emblems of 
His passion, in fine, are eloquent witnesses 
of the ingratitude of men who respond 
not to this divine love. 


Lesson V. — The Emblems which surround 
the Heart of Jesus. 

Question 1. What else must be taken into 
consideration in order to understand well the 
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus f 
3 — Dey. 


26 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Answer. The emblems which surrounded 
it when Jesus showed it to us and with 
which religious art is wont to represent it. 

Q. 2. What do you understand by an 
emblem f 

A. An image which speaks to the senses ; 
that is to say, a thing or the representation 
of a thing which, appearing materially to 
our eyes, recalls to our minds an imma- 
terial, spiritual thing, different from the 
first. Thus, for instance, a heart, or the 
picture of a heart, is the emblem of love. 

Q. 3. What are the emblems which Jesus 
has joined to His adorable Heart t 

A. The Cross, the Crown of Thorns, the 
Wound, the Flames. 

Q. 4. What do these emblems signify f 
A. They have first a signification which 
may be said to be common to them all ; 
but one may also attach a special signifi- 
cation to each of them. 

Q. 5. What is their common significance t 
A. The Cross, the Crown of Thorns, and 
the Wound in the Heart, have relation to 
the Passion of Jesus, and are its touching 
emblems. The Flames are the emblems 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


27 


of love, and as it is in the Blessed Eucharist 
that our Lord has especially shown His 
love for us, they also recall to our memory 
this adorable Sacrament. The Passion of 
Jesus and the Blessed Eucharist are there- 

fore the great facts which these emblems 
re present to us. 

Q. 6. Why do you distinguish a special 
signification besides t 

A. Because each of these emblems can 
be considered in itself, and so receive a 
a signification of its own. 

Q. 7. In this way what does the Cross 
signify f 

A. The Cross is the emblem of Faith: 
for on the one hand it is by the Cross that 
Jesus conquered our enemies, the world, 
and the devil ; and, on the other hand, St. 
John says to us: “This is the victory 
which overcometh the world — your faith.” 
Jesus has desired therefore that the Cross 
should be placed over His Heart as the 
sign of victory. Moreover, the Cross is 
the emblem of suffering, and thus recalls 
to us the crosses that ought to adorn our 
hearts. A heart without a cross cannot 
be acceptable to Jesus Crucified. 


28 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 8. What means the Wound, opened 
so unde in the Heart t 

A. It shows that it is from the Heart 
of Jesus we are to expect all graces, and 
that it is in tfiat Heart we are to seek our 
refuge. This, therefore, is most justly the 
emblem of Hope. It is from this inex- 
haustible Fountain that ” our salvation 
springs; it is on this immovable Rock 
that our hearts repose without fear, even 
in the midst of tempests. 

Q. 9. And the remaining emblem, the 
Flames which surround the Heart of Jesus , 
must they evidently be the emblem of Charity f 
A. They are. This symbol has always 
been emblematic of Love. And, sur- 
rounding the Heart of Jesus, they are the 
emblem of His Love, so unfathomable, so 
utterly inconceivable. 

Q. 10. After Faith , Hope, and Charity, 
what will be the most natural meaning to at- 
tach to the Crown of Thoms f 

A. It will be the emblem of a sincere 
and profound contrition. When the First 
Adam sinned, it was foretold that the earth 
would bring forth for him briers and thorns. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


29 


The Second Adam, our sweet Jesus, de- 
served not these thorns ; and yet He will 
bear them in order to make us understand 
how keen are the pangs which our sins cause 
Him. When we behold, then, this thorny 
Crown plaited around the Heart of Jesus, it 
will bid us bewail our faults and sins, and 
we shall strive with God’s help to expiate 
them by our repentance and our tender 
love. 


Lesson VI. — The privileges attached to the de- 
votion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Question. 1. Why do you return to one 
of the motives you have already proposed for 
cherishing the devotion to the Sacred Heart, 
namely, the privileges attached to that devo- 
tion f 

Answer. Because they are well calcu- 
lated to excite our zeal, and because they 
manifest more clearly the desires of our 
Lord Jesus Christ and of His Church. 

Q. 2. Has Jesus made special promises 
in favor of those who will labor to have His 
Divine Heart honored t 
3* 


30 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. Yes, very many promises. Here are 
the most remarkable : 

1. To such as promote the love and 
honor of My Heart I will grant all the 
graces of which they may have need in 
their state of life. 

2. I will establish peace in their families. 

3. I will console them in all their trou- 
bles and sufferings. 

4. I will be their secure refuge during 
life, and particularly at the hour of death. 

5. I will pour down blessings on all 
they undertake. 

6. Sinners will find in My Heart the 
inexhaustible fountain and infinite ocean 
of mercies. 

7. Tepid Souls shall there learn to 
become fervent. 

8. Fervent Souls shall advance rapidly 
in the paths of perfection. 

9. I will bless the dwellings where the 
Image of My Sacred Heart shall be ex- 
posed and honored. 

10. To priests specially devoted to My 
Heart, I will give the power of softening 
the most hardened hearts. 

11. Every one who promotes this devo- 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


31 


tion shall have his name written on My 
Heart, never to be effaced therefrom. 

Q. 3. When were these glorious and con- 
soling promises made t 

A. They were all made to us by Jesus 
Christ Himself through Blessed Margaret 
Mary. His own divine and infallible 
word is the pledge that they will be real- 
ized in behalf of all who persevere to the 
end in the love of His Sacred Heart. 

Q. 4. How has the Holy See encouraged 
the Faithful to secure the ninth of these 
promises in particular t 

A. By granting an indulgence of one 
hundred days to all who make before a 
picture of the Sacred Heart this offering : 
“ My , loving Jesus, out of gratitude to 
Thee and to make reparation for my fre- 
quent unfaithfulness, I give Thee my 
heart, and I consecrate myself wholly to 
Thee ; and with Thy help I resolve never 
to sin again.” A plenary indulgence can 
be gained once a month by those who 
thus habitually honor the representation 
of the Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 5. By what means does the Church 
promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart f 


32 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. By rewarding the practice of this 
devotion with innumerable indulgences, 
plenary and partial. 

Q. 6. Is enrolment in the Arch- Confra- 
ternity of the Sacred Heart a necessary con- 
dition for the gaining of these indulgences ? 

A. The indulgence of the Feast of the 
Sacred Heart is extended to all the Faith- 
ful; but the others are granted only to 
the members of the Arch-Confraternity. 

Q. 7. Mention some of the indulgences 
granted by various Sovereign Pontiffs to the 
members of the Arch- Confraternity. 

A. (a.) A plenary indulgence on the 
day of their enrolment. 

(b.) To all who recite every day a Pater, 
Ave, and Credo, with any form of the 
ejaculation : 

“ 0 Sweetest Heart of Jesus ! I implore 
The grace to love Thee more and more.” 

A plenary indulgence, on the usual con- 
ditions, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 
or the Sunday following, on the first 
Friday or Sunday of every month, on any 
other day of the month they may choose ; 
sixty days for any good work done by 
them at any time ; at the hour of death, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


33 


by invoking at least mentally the Holy 
name of Jesus, a plenary indulgence. 

(c.) A plenary indulgence also on the 
Feasts of Easter, Christmas, and the As- 
cension ; the Immaculate Conception, Na- 
tivity, Annunciation, Purification, and As- 
sumption of Our Lady; and, finally on 
the Feasts of St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and 
Paul, St. John the Evangelist, St. Gregory 
the Great, and All Saints and All Souls. 

Q. 8. Are there any other privileges at- 
tached to the devotion to the Heart of Jesus t 
A. Very many others. Among the 
rest, numerous indulgences not specified 
here, and after death participation in the 
masses offered up thrice each month at 
Rome for the deceased members of the 
Confraternity.* 

* The members of the Apostleship of Prayer 
share in all the indulgences of the Arch-Confra- 
ternity, of Avhich the above is a very incomplete 
enumeration; and they enjoy many other indul- 
gences and privileges conferred exclusively on our 
Holy League of the Sacred Heart. The translator 
hopes to be able to supplement Father Pierik’s 
Tract by a u Little Catechism of the Apostleship 
of Prayer,” on the same plan. 

C 


PART SECOND. 


Origin and Propagation of the Devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart. 

Lesson I. — Various Epochs in the History of 
the Devotion — prefigured in the Old Law, re- 
alized on Calvary, and fully accomplished in 
our own time. 

Question 1. Besides all the considerations 
already proposed, is there still something 
which ought to incline our hearts to love and 
cherish this great devotion to the Heart of 
Jesus ? 

Answer. Yes. The finger of God, so 
manifest in its origin and in the rapidity 
of its propagation. 

Q. 2. What do you understand by its 
origin f 

A. All that God has done and allowed 
to be done to spread abroad this devotion 
and bring it home to the hearts of men. 

Q. 3. Might this origin be traced to an- 
cient times f 


34 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION. 


35 


A. There is nothing to hinder it. The 
Sacred Scriptures having from the first 
been written for the instruction of men, 
they were able to see dimly therein, under 
obscure symbols, the mysteries of the 
Heart of the promised Redeemer. 

Q. 4. Is it possible to distinguish various 
epochs in the history of the devotion to the 
Sacred Heart ? 

A. Yes, we may distinguish three such 
epochs : the epoch of figures, that of the 
realization of these figures, and that of the 
perfect fulfilment. 

Q. 5. What do you mean by the epoch 
of figures t 

A. The time of the Old Testament. 

Q. 6. How many kinds of figures do you 
notice there f 

A. Two. One consists in facts, the 
other in words. Or rather there are 
figures properly so called, persons or 
things — and there are prophetic figures, 
words that have relation to the future de- 
votion to the Sacred Heart. 

Q. 7. Which are chief types and figures 
of the first class f 


36 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. The chief of these, according to the 
holy Fathers, is found in the earthly para- 
dise. Eve, formed of a rib taken from 
Adam’s breast during his sleep, prefigured 
the heavenly Bride, the Church, which 
sprung from the open Heart of the second 
Adam, sleeping on the cross the sleep of 
death. The realization of this figure, and 
the interpretation which the holy Fathers 
have given of it, place it beyond dispute. 
The Blood and Water which on that oc- 
casion issued from the wounded Heart of 
Jesus typify the Sacraments : Baptism, 
which gave birth to the Church, and the 
Eucharist, in which the Blood of Jesus 
nourishes her. 

Q. 8. Are there other figures under the 
Old Law ? 

A. According to several commentators, 
the opening which Noah cut in the side 
of the ark was a figure of the Wound in 
the Heart of Jesus. The rock which 
Moses struck with his rod till the waters 
poured forth, also prefigured It, according 
to that word of St. Paul, “The rock was 
Christ.” The Church herself, in the Hi- 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


37 


vine Office, calls the Heart of Jesus the 
Ark of the New Testament. Many other 
facts might be cited in which the Heart 
of Jesus is prefigured more or less strik- 
ingly. 

Q. 9. What are the chief prophecies re- 
lating to the Heart of our Divine Lord f 

A. Those of David, Solomon, and Zach- 
ary. 

Q. 10. Can you cite briefly the testimony 
of the Royal Psalmist t 

A. Speaking in the person of the Re- 
deemer, and speaking of the future as 
past, he says that in the day “ when they 
digged His hands and feet , His Heart be- 
came like wax melting in the midst of His 
breast ( Ps . xxi. 15), from the vehemence 
and bitterness of His sufferings ; that He 
“ sought for one who would ' console Him , 
and found none ” (Ps. lxviii. 25), but that 
at last consolation came to Him from God 
the Father, “ according to the multitude of 
His sorrows in His Heart” ('. Ps . xciii. 19.) 
Thus the sufferings and consolations of 
the Heart of Jesus are foretold by David. 

Q. 11. And Solomon? 

4 — Dev. 


38 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. Solomon calls the day of the alli- 
ance between the Redeemer and mankind 
“ the day of His Heart's joy." The Heart 
of God leaps with gladness to feel Itself 
united to the hearts of men. 

Q. 12. Finally , what testimony can you 
cite from Zachary t 

A. Zachary says that all those especi- 
ally who persecute the Messiah “ will look 
upon Him hanging on the cross, and will 
recognize Him whom they have pierced " 
St. John, w 7 ho saw the fulfilment of this 
prophecy, applies it to the Centurion’s 
spear which pierced the Heart of Jesus 
through and through. 

Q. 13. Wien were these figures realized? 

A. Upon the Cross. When the Roman 
soldier, coming to Jesus and seeing that 
He was already dead, “ would not break a 
bone of Him," but burying his spear in 
His right side penetrated to the Heart, 
and made blood and water gush forth 
from it. The Blood and Water, accord- 
ing to St. John, were with the Spirit to 
give testimony of Jesus on earth, as the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost give 
testimony of Jesus in Heaven. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


39 


Q. 14. Is it for this reason that you call 
that moment the epoch of realization t 
A. Yes. What had till then been pre- 
figured and foretold was now realized. 
The Divine Heart was offered and dis- 
played to the eyes of all, as the Spouse of 
the Church, as the gate through which we 
enter into her, as the source of that heav- 
enly food which was to nourish her. 


Lesson II. — Devotion to the Heart of Jesus 
before the Revelation to Blessed Margaret 
Mary. 

Question 1. You have distinguished a 
third period in the history of the devotion 
to the Sacred Heart What do you mean 
by the epoch of perfect fulfilment f 

Answer. The times of the New Testa- 
ment, inaugurated by the death of Christ, 
covered with his Blood, His Heart’s Blood, 
as with a seal royaj, and destined to offer 
henceforth to the more perfect adoration 
of the Faithful the Heart of the Man-God 
crucified. 


40 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 2. Did the Heart of Jesus begin then 
at once to be honored by men? 

A. Certainly. But for the sake of pre- 
cision it is well again to distinguish two 
epochs. 

Q. 3. Which are these epochs ? 

A. The period of the particular worship 
of the Heart of Jesus, and the period of 
its universal worship. 

Q. 4. How long did the first of these 
periods last ? 

A. Till the end of the seventeenth cen- 
tury. During this period many men, 
many Saints above all, honored the Heart 
of Jesus; but each one did so in his own 
way, while the Church had not adopted 
any common form for this devotion, or 
proposed it to the Faithful. 

Q. 5. Were there then, from the first years 
of the Christian era , Saints who practised 
this devotion ? 

A. Without doubt there were, and first 
of all the Blessed Virgin herself. She 
saw the Heart of Jesus pierced upon the 
Cross — she His Mother! — and while His 
lifeless body lay in her arms, she was able 


TO THE SACKED HEART. 


41 


to gaze upon the deep wound in His 
Heart. Who knew so well as she His Di- 
vine Heart? Whose soul could be rent 
like hers at the sight of that wound of 
love? 

St. John also, Magdalene, Hicodemus, 
Joseph of Arimathea, and the pious wo- 
men — we can better understand than des- 
cribe what these must have felt at a spec- 
tacle so well calculated to bind their hearts 
for ever to the Heart of Jesus. More- 
over, the first Christians, honoring as they 
did the sacred wounds of Jesus, could not 
possibly overlook His Heart, whose love 
they had felt so close to them, pouring it- 
self out upon their souls. 

Q. 6. Are there witnesses to the existence 
of this worship in days nearer to our own ? 

A. Yes, the Doctors and Fathers of the 
Church who have written admirable things 
concerning the Heart of Jesus. “ The Cen- 
turion,” says St. Augustine, “ has opened 
for me the Heart of Jesus, and I have 
entered in and found there my refuge and 
my repose.” And elsewhere, “ O Heart, 
O fountain of living water, let me drink 
4 * 


42 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


deep draughts of that celestial stream 
which gushes forth from Thee.” “Be- 
hold,” says St. Bonaventure, “behold 
the gate of Paradise. The sword which 
guarded the entrance thereto has been 
thrust aside by the spear of the Centu- 
rion. The treasure of eternal Wisdom 
and eternal Love is open to all ; enter 
into it through this divine wound.” Very 
many Saints have used similar language, 
and have shown, in the course of centu- 
ries, how well they knew and how much 
they loved the Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 7. Name some of these Saints. 

A. St. Thomas, St. Philip Neri, St. 
Thomas of Alcantara, St. Bernard, above 
all, and the blessed Peter Canisius. 

Q. 8. Repeat some of the words of blessed 
Canisius. 

A. On the 6th of September, 1549, he 
wrote in his journal: “O Divine Re- 
deemer, Thou hast opened to me Thy 
adorable Heart and permitted me to see 
into, it. Thou hast invited me to draw in 
Thee the waters of salvation, and to drink 
of Thy sacred fountains. Putting my 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


43 


parched lips to Thy most sweet Heart, I 
have been so bold as to slake my thirst at 
the divine fountain-head ; and Thou hast 
promised me, Lord, to clothe the filth of 
my soul with a celestial garment made of 
those textures best fitted for my profes- 
sion — faith, charity, constancy.” 

Thus, a* hundred years before blessed 
Margaret Mary, Canisius was already an 
apostle according to the Heart of Jesus. 
It is not hard now to understand how he 
was able to accomplish so many and such 
great things for the honor of Jesus. Night 
and day he sought for no other refuge 
save that Divine Heart. 

Q. 9. Have there also been holy women 
distinguished for the practice of this devor 
tion f 

A. Yes. Amongst them, St. Gertrude, 
who learned from the mouth of St. John 
that a time would come when the devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart would be spread 
universally through the Church ; her 
sister, St. Mechtildes, who never ceased 
speaking of the unutterable benefits which 
she obtained each day through this devo- 


44 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


tion ; St. Clare, who did not let a single 
day pass without specially honoring the 
Divine Heart ; St. Catharine of Sienna, 
who received in her body the impression 
of the s ( acred wounds; St. Teresa, who 
likewise had her heart deeply wounded 
with love. We might still name, with 
many others, St. Mary Magdalene de 
Pazzi, St. Rose of Lima, blessed Margaret 
of Cortona, St. Clare of Montefalcone. 

Q. 10. This devotion, therefore , to the 
Sacred Heart existed in the Church for a 
long timet 

A. So much so that we might describe 
it as common to all the Saints before it 
became known to all the children of the 
Church. 


Lesson III. — Origin of the Universal Devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart. 

Question 1. What is understood when a 
Devotion is said to have become universal? 

Answer. That this devotion, practised 
at first by a limited number of persons, 
has been accepted by the Church, pro- 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


45 


posed by her to the Faithful at large, and 
then practised with public ceremonies in 
a fixed and regular manner. 

Q. 2. Is the devotion, then, to the Sacred 
Heart a new devotion f 

A. In its own nature, and as regards 
the honor paid to the Heart of Jesus, not 
at all ; but it is new certainly as to the 
way in which it is ^practised, as to the 
number of persons who embrace it, and, 
above all, as to the means it employs, such 
as feasts, prayers, pictures, etc. 

Q. 3. Through whom has this devotion, 
from being confined to a few, become uni- 
versal f Who is the founder of it? 

A. Jesus Christ Himself. We might 
have expected that Jesus, who gave us 
His Heart, and who has ever guided the 
Church, would come to teach us this devo- 
tion with His own mouth. Accordingly, 
in these latter times, as He had announced 
to St. Gertrude, He chose to disclose to us 
more fully than ever the treasures of His 
most amiable and adorable Heart. 

Q. 4. Why has He done so ? 

A. In order, as He said Himself, to 


46 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


warm the hearts of men that have grown, 
alas ! colder and colder ; to re-kindle the 
fire which He had come to cast upon 
earth ; in fine, to try one last mighty 
effort of Hrs love, and draw all hearts to 
His Heart. 

Q. 5. With this view what did our Lord 
do ? 

• A. He chose, as His wont is, an instru- 
ment quite inadequate to so grand a work. 
He wished once more to triumph in weak- 
ness, and to confound the pride and 
haughtiness of men by that which seemed 
in their eyes mean and low. 

Q. 6. And who was this instrument f 

A. Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque, 
recently beatified (September, 1864) by 
His Holiness Pius IX., whom may God 
preserve to us. 

Q. 7. When did this holy woman live t 

• A. She was born on the 22d of July, 
1647, and lived for a long time unknown 
-—like the humble little flower * of which 
she bore the name — in a convent at Paray- 

* Marguerite in French is a daisy, and Marga- 
rita in Latin a pearl. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


47 


le-Monial, in the diocese of Autun, be- 
longing to the Order of the Visitation, 
founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. 
Jane Frances de Chantal. She died in 
her forty -third year, October 17th, 1690. 
Her life and her death were worthy of a 
Spouse of the Sacred Heart. 

Q. 8. What signal favor was conferred 
upon her by the Heart of Jesus t 

A. The famous apparition of our Di- 
vine Redeemer, in which he chose her to 
be the Apostle of the Sacred Heart, and 
to spread the devotion towards It through 
all the Church. 

Q. 9. What is Most remarkable in this 
apparition f 

A. Three things: the time and place of 
the apparition, the manner in which the 
Heart of Jesus manifested Itself, and the 
words which Jesus uttered. 

Q. 10. What were the time and place of 
the apparition f 

A. Jesus appeared to the holy Nun on 
the Octave day of Corpus Christi, above 
the altar and the tabernacle, as if to show 
the close union which subsists between the 


48 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Blessed Eucharist and the devotion to the 
Sacred Heart. 

Q. 11. How did Jesus exhibit His Heart 
to the holy virgin f 

A. On a throne of fire and flames, shed- 
ding rays on every side, brighter than the 
sun and transparent as crystal. The 
Wound He received on the Cross was 
seen in the midst of His Heart, a crown 
of thorns encircled It, and above It shone 
the blessed sign of His love, the holy 
Cross. 

Q. 12. What were Jesus > words ? 

A. Oh ! how sweet, how moving, for the 
Blessed Margaret. “ See this Heart,” He 
said, “ which has loved men so much, that 
It has spared nothing, even to exhausting 
and consuming Itself, in order to testify 
to them Its love. And in return I receive 
from most of them only ingratitude, and 
all the contempt, irreverence, sacrilege, 
and coldness, which they show Me in this 
Sacrament of Love. I suffer more,” He 
added, “ than I suffered during My entire 
Passion. Ah ! if men would but repay 
My love with their love, I should count as 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


49 


nothing all that I have done for them, and 
gladly suffer for them, if it were possible, 
more and more.” 

Q. 13. Did Jesus stop at these moving 
words f 

A. No. He invited, nay, ordered the 
holy virgin to apply herself at once to the 
work, to become His victim and the in- 
strument which He was to employ in 
making this adorable Heart honored 
better and more tenderly loved. 

Q. 14. What especially did Jesus point 
out to her as means to arrive at this end f 

A. First, to expose publicly to the ven- 
eration of the Faithful the image of His 
Heart, such as He had shown It to her, in 
order thus to touch men’s hearts. Then, 
to procure the establishment of a Feast in 
honor of the Sacred Heart on the Friday 
after the Octave of Corpus Christi, and to 
sanctify this Feast by a fervent Commu- 
nion, and an Act of Keparation for the 
outrages committed against our Lord in 
His sacramental presence. 

Q. 15. Did Jesus add to these directions 
any encouraging promises f 
5 — Dev. D 


50 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. Yes. In the first place, He Him- 
self promised to guide His handmaid, 
to point out one who should aid her in 
spreading this devotion, and to bless 
abundantly all those who would embrace 
it. “ Make this announcement,” He said 
to her once more, “ and let it be known 
to all the world, that I shall put no limits 
to my favors when they are implored 
through My Heart.” 

Q. 16. What conclusion do you draw 
from all this f 

A. That Jesus Christ Himself has been 
the Founder of this devotion, and that all 
who wish to act wisely ought to meditate 
upon and follow out His words. 


Lesson I V. — Propagation of the Devotion to 
the Sacred Heart. 

Question. 1. After Jesus had established 
this devotion, did it spread rapidly f 

Answer. Yes; although at the outset, 
like all of God’s works, it met with strong 
opposition. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


51 


Q. 2. From whom did this opposition 
come f 

A. Both from the good and from the 
bad. From the bad, because hell saw in 
this devotion a new means of perfection 
for souls ; from the good, whose exagger- 
ated fears dreaded it as a dangerous nov- 
elty. 

Q. 3. Did Blessed Margaret Mary suffer 
much on this account t 

A. Very much ; but on the one hand 
the Cross is always the seal placed on 
God’s work, and on the' other, the Heart 
of Jesus could not but vanquish Satan. 

Q. 4. What means did Jesus employ in 
order to conquer f 

A. The energetic constancy of His faith- 
ful handmaid, and the devotedness and 
prudence of the man whom He had prom- 
ised to her as counsellor and director. 
This was Father Claude de la Colombiere, 
S. J. His name, as the great Pope Bene- 
dict XIV. testifies, was famous among the 
preachers of the Gospel. 

Q. 5. How did the timid virgin begin 
the work f 


52 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


A. By establishing it amongst her No- 
vices within the precincts of her monas- 
tery. This step excited the first storm, 
which was dissipated only by the removal 
of the image of the Sacred Heart. Mean- 
while, Father de la Colombi&re was spread- 
ing the devotion in the world without. 
He himself was the first who, according to 
the suggestion of Blessed Margaret, con- 
secrated himself solemnly to the Heart of 
Jesus as Its disciple and adorer. 

Q. 6. When did Father de la Colom- 
bibre take this step t 

A. On the 21st of June, 1675, the Fri- 
day after the Octave of Corpus Christi. 
This holy man was also the first to expe- 
rience how much power this devotion 
gives to priests over the hearts of sinners. 

Q. 7. Did this suffice to establish a Feast 
of the Sacred Heart. 

A. By no means. In 1685, one Fri- 
day, which chanced to be the Feast of St. 
Margaret, patron of our zealous Mistress 
of Novices, her spiritual children wished 
to present her with bouquets as little 
tokens of their affection. Margaret begged 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


53 


them rather to make their offerings to 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The pious 
Novices eagerly consented, and their flow- 
ers came to surround a modest picture 
which represented the Heart of Jesus girt 
with flames and love. This was the first 
occasion on which the Sacred Heart re- 
ceived public honors. 

Q. 8. Was this first Feast of the Sacred 
Heart shared in by all the Religious of the 
convent t 

A. Not at all. When St. Juliana of 
Li6ge wished at God’s command to insti- 
tute the Festival of Corpus Christi, she 
encountered her first obstacles amongst 
her own Sisters in the Convent of Cor- 
nillon. So it was for Margaret Mary with 
regard to the Feast of the Sacred Heart. 

Q. 9. How long did this opposition last ? 

A. The hostile dispositions seem not to 
have changed till a year later, 1686. One 
of the Sisters, who, in perfect good faith 
and because she believed it to be contrary 
to rule, had declared most openly against 
the devotion, found herself suddenly en- 
lightened by our Lord Jesus Christ during 
5* 


54 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


tlie Octave of Corpus Christi. She came 
to ask for a picture of the Sacred Heart 
which the Saint had made, in order that 
she herself might expose it in the choir, 
and invite the Sisters to join in paying the 
homage of their devotion to it. The as- 
tonishment of the community at this un- 
expected change was not lessened by their 
knowing Margaret Mary’s prediction, that 
those would be the most ardent propaga- 
tors of the devotion who had striven most 
strenuously against it. 

Q. 10. Had the Saint foretold anything 
else? 

A. Yes. Among other things, that it 
would be in the diocese of Autun, and 
especially at Paray-le-Monial, that the op- 
position would persist longest. And in 
fact it was only in 1713, when the devo- 
tion was solidly established in all the mon- 
asteries of the Visitation in France, that 
Paray-le-Monial solicited and obtained 
permission to celebrate the feast of the 
Sacred Heart with a proper mass. 

Q. 11. Did the devotion extend rapidly? 

A. Very rapidly ; so much so, that forty 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


55 


years after Blessed Margaret Mary’s death, 
writers on the subject could appeal to the 
marvellous rapidity of its progress as a 
manifest proof that the finger of God was 
in it. 

Q. 12. Of what other means did Jesus 
make use in order to propagate this devo- 
tion t 

A. The writings of Father de la Co- 
lombiere, in which he announced the reve- 
lation made to Blessed Margaret Mary, 
and preached the Gospel of the Sacredj 
Heart. A work by Father Croiset, an* 
other director of the Saint, was very 
widely spread, and promoted this holy ob- 
ject much. 

Q. 13. Did the opposition to the devo- 
tion cease soon f 

A. Far from it ; it grew more violent, 
so that the very name of the Heart of 
Jesus became an object of hatred to many 
who pretended to be faithful children of 
His Church. 

Q. 14. Who were the most virulent cav- 
illers t 

A. The secret or avowed adherents of 


56 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


the cold-hearted heresy of Jansenism. 
Their enmity culminated in the decrees of 
the pretended Synod of Pistoia, under 
Scipio Ricci, in 3786. 

Q. 15. What authoritative condemnation 
feU on these blasphemous attacks against the 
devotion to the Heart of Jesus t 

A. Pius VI., of holy memory, anathe- 
matized them in the Bull Auctorem Fidei , 
in 1794. Many years before, Clement 
XIII., in 1763, granted a proper Office 
and Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
for the kingdom of Poland ; which privi- 
lege, after being obtained separately by 
most of the Religious Orders and numer- 
ous dioceses, was extended to all the Church 
in 1856 by His Holiness Pope Pius IX. 

Q. 16. Does anything remain to be done 
for the propagation of this devotion ? 

A. Much still. We must all strive and 
pray that the love of the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus may influence more and more the 
hearts of His creatures — our hearts first 
of all. 

Q. 17. Who are those who ought to co- 
operate in this salutary work ? 

A. In the first place, without doubt, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


57 


priests and religious. But Jesus excludes 
no one. And, though He marked out by 
name to Blessed Margaret Mary the 
Daughters of S. Francis of Sales and the 
Fathers of the Society of Jesus, His prom- 
ises shall extend to all who shall labor to 
spread abroad the worship of His Heart. 

Q. 18. What is to be done for this pur- 
pose t 

A. Each must labor for it according to 
the measure of his power, and according 
to his condition and circumstances. But 
why should we not all become Apostles of 
the Sacred Heart, filled with Its Spirit, 
and ingenious in manifesting our zeal and 
love? We should try to make this devo- 
tion known and appreciated, distributing 
such reminders of it as medals and pic- 
tures of the Sacred Heart, and the books 
which treat of any of the infinite aspects 
of the subj ect. Nothing can hinder us from 
at least praying that this Divine Heart 
may be loved and honored more and more. 
Ah ! happy they who understand the sweet- 
ness attached to this work. Happy they 
who thus entitle themselves to the ten- 
derest benedictions of the Heart of Jesus. 


PART THIRD. 


Practices of Devotion to the Sacred 
Heart. 

Lesson I. — On Devotional Practices in Gen- 
eral. 

Question 1. Of how many hinds are the 
practices or acts of a devotion ? 

Answer. Of two kinds, interior and 
exterior. 

Q. 2. What do you understand by inte- 
rior acts t 

A. Those which are confined to the 
mind and heart, without calling in the aid 
of the senses or organs of the body. 

Q. 3. How many of them do you dis- 
tinguish. 

A. Three, according to the faculties 
from which they proceed; acts of the 
understanding, of the will, and of the 
memory. 

Q. 4. What is the duty of the under- 
standing? 


58 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION. 


59 


A. To teach us as far as may be to 
know the object of the devotion (in our 
present subject, the Heart of Jesus), and 
to conceive a high esteem for it. 

Q. 5. What is the work of the will t 

A. To wake up and nourish the feelings 
of the heart, and to honor as far as is in 
its power the object contemplated by the 
understanding. 

Q. 6. And what remains as the peculiar 
province of the memory t 

A. Two things : to place constantly be- 
fore the eyes of our minds the object of 
the devotion, and to recall to our minds 
the qualities which merit for this object 
our esteem and our homage. 

Q. 7. What do you mean hy the exterior 
acts of a devotion f 

A. Those in which the body and the 
senses cooperate — as, for instance, the act 
of kneeling, of celebrating a Feast, per- 
forming certain ceremonies, etc. 

Q. 8. Is exterior devotion a necessary 
consequence of interior devotion. 

A. Most certainly. It is, besides, natu- 
ral to man. Fire betrays its presence by 


60 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


the radiation of its heat even through the 
screen which hides the flames from us. So 
love radiates out from the heart which it 
enkindles, and its mysterious radiation is 
nothing else than exterior devotion. 


Lesson II. — Interior Practices of Devotion to 
the Sacred Heart. 

Question 1. How will the soul exercise 
her understanding in the 'practice of this de- 
votion f 

Answer. By striving to understand, as 
far as possible, the Divine Heart of Jesus, 
Its excellency, Its sanctity, Its inconceiv- 
able merit, Its greatness, Its virtues, Its 
privileges, Its love, Its sorrows; in fine, 
all the treasures of grace which have ren- 
dered It the object of the love of the Eter- 
nal Father, of all the Angels, and of 
man. 

Q. 2. What are the principal means of 
acquiring this knowledge f 

A. Prayer, reading, and meditation. 
But the prayers must be persevering and 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


61 


full of confidence, the reading must be as- 
siduous and attentive, the meditation fer- 
vent and frequently renewed. 

Q. 3. Next, what duty will devolve upon 
the faculty of the will f 

A. To excite and nourish the feelings 
and desires which this knowledge will 
cause to spring up in our souls — feelings 
of adoration, of gratitude, of veneration, 
of love, of thanksgiving, of confidence, of 
zeal for the greater glory of God — the 
desire of ✓ imitating the virtues of the 
Heart of Jesus, of compassionating It 
under the outrages offered to It, especially 
in the Sacrament of Its Love, the desire 
of making reparation for those insults, of 
seeing our heart united to that Divine 
Heart, and other such desires. 

Q. 4. What remains for the memory to 
do t 

A. To remind us often of the Heart of 
Jesus and to keep up an intimate union 
with that Heart — in other words, to place 
the Heart of Jesus always before the eyes 
of our hearts, and, as it were, to plunge 
our hearts in the Heart of Jesus. 

6 — Dev. 


62 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 5. Name some practices which are 
closely linked with these interior practices. 

A. To perform many acts in honor of 
the Sacred Heart ; to discharge our vari- 
ous duties with perfection, as the Saints 
did, taking the Heart of Jesus as our 
Model ; to do all our actions in union with 
that Divine Heart. 


Lesson III . — Special Exterior Practices 
of Devotion to the Sacred Heart. 

Question 1. In the exterior practices of 
devotion to the Heart of Jesus, what classi- 
fication may be made t 

Answer. They may be divided into ordi- 
nary and extraordinary, according as they 
can be performed at all times, or only at 
certain times, and in certain circumstances. 
Examples of the latter are, the celebra- 
tion of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 
visits paid to a Church of the Sacred 
Heart, or to altars consecrated to Its 
name, enrolment in its Confraternities; 
also Novenas, Masses, Communions, pray- 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


63 


ers, and other pious practices done in Its 
honor, such as fasts, alms, etc. 

Q. 2. What other grouping can he given 
to these different practices t 

A. Some of them are yearly, some 
monthly, some weekly, whilst others can 
be used every day. 

Q. 3. What are the annual devotions 
practised in honor of the Heart of Jesus f 
A. The principal is the celebration of 
the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which 
Jesus Himself fixed on the first Friday 
after the Octave of Corpus Christi. 

Q. 4. Did our blessed Lord indicate any 
special acts by which He wished the Faith- 
ful to honor this day t 

A. Yes ; Holy Communion and an Act 
of Keparation of Honor for the outrages 
offered to His Heart ? 

Q. 5. What do you mean by Reparation 
of Honor f 

A. An act of compassion, love, and re- 
pentance, coming from the bottom of our 
hearts, for the outrages committed against 
our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament 
of the Altar. 


64 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 6. What other acts is it useful to add 
to this f 

A. On the eve of the Feast to prepare 
well for it by confessing, and deploring in 
particular the faults and irreverences of 
which we may have been guilty towards 
the Blessed Sacrament; to visit the Bless- 
ed Sacrament frequently, and to pray to 
our Lord fervently for ourselves and 
others. 

Q. 7. What other annual practice is ob- 
served in honor of the Heart of Jesus ? 

A. The pious celebration of the Month 
of the Sacred Heart. The lovers of Jesus 
have chosen the month of June to be con- 
secrated to His Heart. It is the month 
of fruits crowning the month of flowers — 
the month of the Son linked with the 
month of the Mother. It is, besides, the 
privileged month which counts among its 
days the Feast-day of the Sacred Heart. 

Q. 8. What acts of devotion are suitable 
for this month ? 

A. To read some book or make a short 
meditation every day on the devotion to 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus; to say also 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


65 


every day a special prayer to the Sacred 
Heart — for instance, the Litany of the Sa- 
cred Heart, the Act of Reparation, etc. ; 
to labor during this month to root out 
from ourselves some fault, or to acquire 
some virtue that is wanting to us, and all 
this in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 9. Is there not another devotion con- 
nected with the one of which we have been 
speaking ? 

A. Yes ; a devotion in honor of the 
thirty-three years which Jesus passed in 
this world. This devotion began in Paris 
in the year 1834, through the piety of a 

young girl, Angela de Sainte C . The 

Archbishop, Mgr. de Qu61en, approved of 
it, and soon it began to spread abroad, 
especially in religious communities. The 
devotion consists in this, that thirty-three 
persons agree together to receive Holy 
Communion, each on the day of the month 
that falls to each by lot. They engage, 
besides, to recite every day an Act of 
Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
and three aspirations to the Hearts of 
Jesus and Mary. 

6* E 


66 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 10. What monthly practice is observed 
in honor of the Heart of Jesus t 

A. One which Jesus again suggested 
to Blessed Margaret Mary; namely, to 
honor His Divine Heart, especially on the 
first Friday of each month. One cannot 
be surprised at the choice of this day, 
since it was on a Friday that Jesus died 
for us, and that His Heart was pierced for 
our sake. 

Q. 11. What acts of devotion are proper 
for the first Friday f 

A. To receive Holy Communion, to pay 
special visits to the Blessed Sacrament, to 
make the Act of Separation, to assist at 
the public devotions in honor of the Sa- 
cred Heart, if such be performed in any 
church near us, etc. 

Q. 12. Ought we not even to set apart 
one day in each week for the special practice 
of this devotion f 

A. Yes, every Friday; for this day 
being consecrated to the sufferings of 
Jesus, and sanctified by the holy absti- 
nence ordained by the Church in memory 
of those sufferings, is particularly agree- 
able to our Lord. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


67 


Q. 13. Do not those who love the .Heart 
of Jesus ardently , go further still f 

A. Oh ! yes. They will not let a single 
day pass without recommending them- 
selves to this beloved and adorable Heart, 
without approaching through It to the 
Heavenly Father, without saying some 
prayer or doing some other pious deed in 
Its honor. 


Lesson IV. — Other Practices of Devotion to 
the Sacred' Heart . 

Question 1. What are the ordinary prac- 
tices of devotion to the Sacred Heart — 
those , namely , which are not confined to any 
month or day, hut may he performed at all 
times t 

Answer. We may speak, in the first 
place, of those which relate to the Blessed 
Sacrament, such as visiting the Blessed 
Sacrament, assisting at Holy Mass, Spirit- 
ual Communion, and Sacramental Com- 
munion. 

Q. 2. Why do these practices link them - 


68 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


selves with the Devotion to the Sacred 
Heart f 

A. Jesus Himself arranged it so. He 
has opened out His Heart before us in 
order that we might console it for the in- 
gratitude of men who despise it in the 
Sacrament of its love. 

Q. 3. On what should we above all fix 
our minds in our visits to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment f 

A. On the virtues of the Heart of Jesus 
reposing in the tabernacle ; on the mani- 
festation of that Heart to Blessed Mar- 
garet Mary during one of her visits; on 
the state of abandonment in which so 
many souls leave Jesus; on the fewness of 
those who honor Him ; on the multitude 
of those who forget Him. 

Q. 4. Is there a special manner also of 
hearing Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus t 

A. Yes, to imagine in assisting at it 
that we are present upon Calvary, and see 
the Centurion piercing the Heart of Jesus. 
It is indeed the same Sacrifice offered up 
in an unbloody manner. O, how the last 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


69 


agony of the Heart of Jesus, its last sigh, 
its death, will console us in the hour of 
our death, if we have habitually medi- 
tated upon them during our life ! 

Q. 5. What do you mean by Spiritual 
Communion ? 

A. An ardent desire of really receiving 
Jesus within us, joined to prayers and acts 
of adoration conformable to this desire. 

Q. 6. What other practices did the Saints 
use in this holy exercise f 

A. They often let their thoughts rest on 
the Heart of Jesus. They seemed to 
quench their thirst in this wounded Heart. 
They united their hearts closely to the 
adorable Heart of their dear Lord and 
Master. 

7. Are Spiritual Communions very 
useful f 

A. Useful in the highest degree. They 
allow us to repeat as often as possible our 
actual Communions. Provided that we 
are in the state of grace, they unite us 
easily and frequently to Jesus, and they 
satisfy the Heart of Jesus, which thirsts 
for the homage that is due to the Sacra- 
ment of its love. 


70 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 8. Is there any special manner of com- 
municating in honor of the Sacred Heart t 
A. Yes. It suffices for this purpose that 
our intention should direct the Commu- 
nion that we make, to the special honor 
of the Heart of Jesus, and should render 
it more tenderly affectionate. With this 
object in view it will be useful to think 
often of the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
so intimately united to the Heart of Jesus ; 
of the very institution of the Eucharist, 
during which St. John was allowed to rest 
his head on the Divine Heart; and of the 
water and blood which flowed from the 
side of Christ, prefiguring this heavenly 
food of our souls. We all know what 
fervor the preparation for Communion 
and the thanksgiving after Communion 
demand. One cannot fulfil this duty of 
piety better than by occupying one’s soul 
sweetly with the Heart of our Divine Lord. 


Lesson Y. — Pictures of the Sacred Heart. 

Question 1. Of course one of the means 
of keeping the Heart of Jesus before our 
hearts is to keep its image before our eyes f 


TO THE SACKED HEART. 


71 


Answer. Yes ; and besides the manifest 
utility of such sensible representations, 
our Lord himself has recommended the 
use of them in this case in express terms. 
Blessed Margaret Mary says: “My Re- 
deemer assured me that it was sovereignly 
pleasing to Him to see His feelings of love 
and tenderness honored under the image 
of His Heart. He promised that such a 
picture, set up devoutly in any Christian 
dwelling, would make the blessing of God 
descend upon that house.” 

Q. 2. Has the Church approved of this 
practice f 

A. In the most formal and emphatic 
manner, by attaching Indulgences to it. 

Q. 3. What are these indulgences t 

A. An Indulgence of seven years and 
seven times forty days is granted (Pius 
VII., January 2, 1799) to all the Faith- 
ful who devoutly visit a picture of the Sa- 
cred Heart of Jesus exposed for public 
veneration in any church or oratory, and 
pray before it for some time for the inten- 
tions of the Sovereign Pontiff. This In- 
dulgence may be applied to the souls in 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Purgatory, as well as the Indulgences at- 
tached to a certain offering made before 
even a private picture of the Sacred 
Heart. 

Q. 4. In what words is this offering ex- 
pressed t 

A. “My loving Jesus, as a pledge of my 
gratitude, and in reparation for my infi- 
delities, I, N. N., give Thee my heart. I 
consecrate myself wholly to Thee, and, 
with Thy grace, I purpose never to offend 
Thee again.” To this offering or act of 
consecration, when made with a contrite 
heart before any image, is attached an In- 
dulgence of one hundred days once a day, 
and a Plenary Indulgence once a month, 
on the usual conditions, for those who per- 
form this little act of devotion daily dur- 
ing the month. 

Q. 5. Was this practice known to devout 
servants of God in former times f 

A. Yes; the celebrated Carthusian, John 
Lanspergius, gave the following counsels 
three hundred years before the universal 
adoption of the Devotion to the Sacred 
Heart : “ To nourish your piety, take care 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


73 


to have an image of tlie adorable Heart 
of Jesus. Place it so that your eyes may 
fall on it often, in order that this sight 
may put you in mind of your duty of 
honoring Jesus, and may maintain in your 
heart the fire of His divine love. Cover 
this picture with tender kisses, and try to 
make the sentiments and graces which fill 
the Heart of Jesus pass into your heart.” 

Q. 6. What resolution , then, ought you 
to take on this subject t 

A. To keep a picture of the Sacred 
Heart, as far as possible, always before 
me ; to gaze upon it often with love ; and 
to spread the picture of the Sacred Heart 
everywhere as widely as I can. 


Lesson VI . — The Novena of the Sacred Heart. 

Question. 1. What is a Novena. 

Answer. A practice of piety repeated 
during nine days. The number nine 
seems to have been chosen because that is 
the number of days during which Jesus 
wished that his Disciples should prepare 
7 — Dev. 


74 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


in prayer and silence for the coming of 
the Holy Ghost. 

Q. 2. When may the Novena in honor 
of the Sacred Heart he made with most 
advantage f 

A. Immediately before its Feast, com- 
mencing, therefore, on the Feast of Corpus 
Christi. 

Q. 3. What are the exercises of piety most 
suitable for this Novena f 

A. 1. Very special care in avoiding sin 
and all the occasions of sin. 2. The more 
perfect performance of our daily actions, 
and the intention of doing them in union 
with the Heart of Jesus and for its honor. 
3. Some acts of piety fixed for each day ; 
for instance, the Litany of the Sacred 
Heart, a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, a 
Sacramental or Spiritual Communion. 

Q. 4. What is the best guide for this 
Novena f 

A. There are several excellent little books 
on the subject. The best known is Father 
Borgo’s Novena, to which the Holy See 
has attached an Indulgence of three hun- 
dred days for each day of the No vena, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


75 


and a Plenary Indulgence once, on the 
usual conditions. The Novena is made 
immediately before the Feast of the Sa- 
cred Heart (Friday after the Octave of 
Corpus Christi), but it can be made and 
the Indulgences gained one other time 
during the year. 

Q. 5. Is there another sort of Novena in 
honor of the Sacred Heart f 

A. Yes; it consists in receiving Holy 
Communion with this special intention on 
the first Fridays of the nine months pre- 
ceding the Feast of the Sacred Heart. 
Blessed Margaret Mary recommended this 
practice very strongly, promising that they 
who would persevere in it would die in 
happy sentiments of repentance, and forti- 
fied by the last Sacraments of the Church.* 


Lesson VII. — The Arch-confraternity of the 
Sacred Heart and the Apostleship of Prayer. 

Question 1. Is there yet another means , 
and a very efficacious one , of honoring the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus f 
* Languet , Life of B. Margaret Mary, bk. vii. 


76 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Answer. Yes, to become & member of 
a pious Association, the object of which is 
to honor that Divine Heart, to give it love 
for love, to thank it for the institution of 
the Blessed Eucharist, and to atone for 
the injuries offered to our Lord in this 
most holy Sacrament. 

Q. 2. What is this Association f 
A. The Arch-confraternity of the Sa- 
cred Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 3. Where did it spring up t 
A. At Rome, in the church of St. Theo- 
dore, and through the zeal of Blessed 
Leonard of Port Maurice. Later, in 
February, 1801, the priests of the Con- 
gregation- of St. Paul received authority 
to establish it in their church (St. Maria 
ad Pineam, commonly called in Capella). 
Two years afterwards the Association was 
raised into an Arch - confraternity and 
transferred to the church of St. Maria, 
della Pace. Pius VII. conferred numer- 
ous Indulgences on it, with authority to 
extend them to all Confraternities of the 
same name that should be duly affiliated 
to it. From 1803 up to May 7, 1841, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


77 


four thousand Confraternities were affili- 
ated to the Roman Arch-confraternity. 

Q. 4. What conditions are necessary for 
becoming a member of the Arch-confrater- 
nity f 

A. To have one’s name inscribed in the 
registry of a Confraternity affiliated to the 
Arch-confratern ity . 

Q. 5. And what to gain the indulgences 
attached to it f 

A. To say every day a Pater, Ave, and 
Credo, with the ejaculation — “ Sweet 
Heart of Jesus, make me always love 
Thee more and more.” 

Q. 6. Is it then advisable to enter into 
the Confraternity t 

A. It manifestly is. We have in it a 
ready means of gaining many indulgences 
and honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 7. What is the Apostleship of Prayer f 

A. A pious association established in 
1844, by Father Gautrelet, and closely 
linked to the Arch-confraternity of the 
Sacred Heart. It has been enriched by 
his holiness Pius IX., with very many 
privileges and indulgences of its own, be- 


78 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


sides enjoying all those granted to the 
Arch-confraternity, in which its members 
are ipso facto enrolled. 

Q. 8. Why do you call it the Apostleship 
of Prayer f 

A. Because it makes use of prayer for 
obtaining the conversion and salvation of 
sinners. 

. Q. 9. What is the object of this holy 
League of Prayer ? 

A. To pray in union with the Heart of 
Jesus, that the desires of His divine Heart 
may be satisfied ; to pray for the salvation 
of the souls ransomed by the blood of 
Jesus; for the conversion of infidels, here- 
tics, and sinners ; for the perseverance and 
perfection of the just; for souls in their 
last agony (more than eighty thousand 
pass each day from this world into eter- 
nity) ; and finally to pray for the exalta- 
tion of the Church and her triumph over 
all her enemies. 

Q. 10. What is required to constitute one 
a member of the Apostleship of Prayer ? 

A. To be inscribed on the registry of 
any affiliated community, and to receive a 
certificate of such enrolment. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. * 79 

Q. 11. What are the obligations of a 
member f 

A. To gain the Indulgences, a member 
must once at least each day offer his 
prayers, labors, and sufferings, for the 
intention of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Q. 12. What is the easiest way of doing 
thisf 

A. To offer up for the intentions of the 
Apostleship the above-mentioned prayers 
of the Arch-confraternity. This suffices 
for gaining at once the Indulgence at- 
tached to both forms of the devotion. 
“ All for Thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus,” 
is also a sufficient oblation. 

Q. 13. Have any other favors been granted 
to the league of the Sacred Heart or Apos- 
tleship of Prayer t 

A. Yes, a participation in the prayers 
and merits of the Dominican and Fran- 
ciscan orders, the Society of Jesus, the 
Congregation of the most holy Redeemer, 
the Society of Mary, the Congregations of 
the Sacred Heart, the Theatines, Barnab- 
ites, and Trappists. 

Q. 14. What special means exists for 


80 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


kindling and keeping alive this devotion to 
the Heart of Jesus ? 

A. The reading and propagation of the 
Messenger of the Sacred Heart, a monthly 
periodical established ten years ago, and 
which now appears in ten languages in 
different parts of the world.* 


Lesson YIII. — The Agonizing Heart of Jesus 
— Literature of the Devotion . 

Question 1. How may we further honor 
the Heart of Jesus f 

Answer. By meditating on its sufferings. 
The devotion to the agonizing Heart of 
Jesus supplies an efficacious method of 
doing so. 

Q. 2. What is the object of this special 
devotion ? 

A. First, to honor the Heart of Jesus 
in the most bitter sufferings of His life, 
and above all, of His death ; secondly, to 
obtain through the merits of the agony 
and death of Jesus special graces for the 

* See advertisement at the end. 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


81 


many thousands of souls that pass each 
day out of life into eternity. 

Q. 3. What prayer is to he said for this 
purpose t 

A. “ O most merciful Jesus, lover of 
souls, I pray Thee by the agony of Thy 
most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of 
Thy Immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thine 
own blood the sinners of the whole world 
who are now in their agony and are to die 
this day. Amen. 

“Heart of Jesus, once in agony, pity 
the dying.” 

Q. 4. Are any Indulgences attached to 
this prayer ? 

A. Yes ; an Indulgence of one hundred 
days every time it is said with contrite 
heart and devotion, and a Plenary Indul- 
gence to those who shall say it at least 
three times a day, at three distant inter- 
vals, for a month together, to be gained 
on that day when, after confession and 
communion, . they shall visit a church and 
pray there for a time according to the 
mind of His Holiness. (Pius IX., Feb- 
ruary 2, 1850.) 


82 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Q. 5. Has this devotion spread through 
the Church t 

A. Yes, very widely and rapidly, chiefly 
through the zeal of Father N. J. Lyon- 
nard, S. J., who has published .several 
works on the subject. 

Q. 6. Can you suggest any other methods , 
in addition to all that you have mentioned , 
for honoring the Heart of Jesus ? 

A. Yes; two especially. One is to 
honor and love very particularly the 
Saints who were most devout to that di- 
vine Heart ; such as St. John the Evan- 
gelist, St. Gertrude, Blessed Margaret 
Mary, and, above all, the Immaculate 
Mother herself. 

Q. 7. And now your last means f 

A. To read and propagate pious books 
written in honor of the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus. 

Q. 8. Mention those which are written in 
English, or have been translated into Eng- 
lish. 

A. The miscellaneous collection en- 
titled, the devotion and office of the most 
Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ, 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


83 


with the Bishop of Boulogne’s Pastoral, 
of which there have been numerous edi- 
tions in Ireland and England during more 
than a hundred years ; the devotion to the 
Heart of Jesus, with introduction on the 
history of Jansenism, by the Rev. J. B. 
Dalgairns, of the oratory of St. Philip 
Neri ; the Imitation of the Sacred Heart, 
from the Latin of Father Arnold, S. J. ; 
the Month of the Sacred Heart, translated 
by Father Tickell, S. J. ; the Manual of 
the Sacred Heart (Burns and Oates) ; the 
Devotion to the Sacred Heart, from the 
French of Father Gautrelet, S. J. ; the 
Pleadings of the Sacred Heart ; Heart to 
Heart with Jesus, from the F rench of 
Hubert Lebon; the Devotion to the Heart 
of Jesus, from the Italian of Father Se- 
condo Franco, S. J. (published recently 
at Baltimore). 

Q. 9. Mention some others which exist 
only in French. 

A. The volumes by FF. Huguet, Bau- 
dry, Godfroy, S. J., and Eugene Des- 
jardins, S. J., all bearing nearly the same 
title, Le Cceur de Jesus; and, besides 


84 


CATECHISM OF DEVOTION 


Father Ramiere’s Apostleship of Prayer , 
(of which an English translation has been 
published), the recently published and as 
yet untranslated Apostolat du Sacre Cceur 
de Jesus, by the same learned and pious 
author. 


Lesson IX. — ( and last.) — The Immaculate 
Heart of Mary. 

Question 1. What is the devotion that is 
linked most closely with that to the Sacred 
Heart of devotion t 

Answer. The devotion to the Immacu- 
late Heart of Mary. 

Q. 2. What are the grounds of this devo- 
tion ? 

A. 1. The Church is wor\t never to sepa- 
rate the blessed Virgin from her Divine 
Son, and all feasts which she celebrates in 
honor of Jesus have feasts corresponding 
to them established in honor of Mary. 
2. The Church and the saints have always 
united the veneration of the Heart of 
Mary with the adoration of the Heart of 
Jesus. 3. In fine, the very nature of 


TO THE SACRED HEART. 


85 


Mary’s Heart demands a special venera- 
tion. 

Q. 3. How would you prove this t 

A. By dwelling on what this Immaculate 
Heart is in itself, and what it is for sinners. 

Q. 4. What is the Heart of Mary con- 
sidered in itself t 

A. 1. It is the noblest portion of the body 
of the noblest of created beings, of the 
Mother of God. 2. The Heart of Jesus 
was formed from its blood. 3. It is the 
organ of the feelings of the purest and 
holiest soul that ever existed in the world, 
except the soul of Jesus. 4. It is the 
seat of the most ardent love that God 
ever received from any creature, and from 
which He has drawn His greatest glory. 
5. It is the richest sanctuary that the 
Holy Ghost has ever dwelt in, the most 
richly adorned with all gifts and graces of 
God. 6. In a word, the Heart of Mary is 
the Heart which in everything is most like 
to the Heart of Jesus. For all these reasons 
it deserves our homage and veneration. 

Q. 5. What is the Heart of Mary in re- 
lation to mankind t 
8 — Dev. 


9 


86 CATECHISM OF DEVOTION. 

A. After the Heart of Jesus it is the most 
amiable object of our love. It is the chan- 
nel through which all the graces and all 
the gifts of God come to us. It is the 
most perfect ideal of all the virtues which 
we ought to imitate. In fine, it is the 
Heart of a Mother — and what a Mother ! 
She has brought us forth to God with un- 
utterable pangs, she has let her Heart be 
pierced in order to bring us to the Heart 
of Jesus, and her happiness is never greater 
than when she wins men’s hearts to the 
Heart of her Son. 

Q. 6. What are the different means of 
practising the devotion to the Heart of Maryf 

A. 1. To get one’s self enrolled in the 
Arch - confraternity of her Immaculate 
Heart. 2. To meditate on the joys and 
sorrows of this most sweet and blessed 
Virgin. 3. To imitate her virtues. 4. 
Lastly, to pass on from her Heart to the 
Heart of Jesus, which we shall never love 
enough and never cease to love. 

To that adorable Heart be all honor 
and all glory through all eternity ! Amen. 

THE END. 












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THE 


ASSOCIATION OF THE APOSTLESHIP 
OF PEAYEE. 


C3j*His pious league which has received the sanc- 
j tion of the Sovereign Pontiff, as well as the 
'y j approbation and encouragement of numerous 

J Prelates throughout the Church, has been 
established in many localities in the United States. 
But, as there are many more that do not yet share 
in the benefits of the Association, it may be agree- 
able to Pastors, Superiors of religious communi- 
ties and Catholic institutions, to learn that the 
Central Director of the Apostleship is authorized 
to give Diplomas of Aggregation. 

Conformably to an ordinance, approved and 
confirmed by our Holy Father Pius IX, “all the 
faithful affiliated to the Apostleship, thereby share 
in the Indulgences and other favors granted to 
the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Heart,” with- 
out any further aggregation whatsoever. 

For Diplomas apply to 


THE CENTRAL DIEECTOE OF THE APOSTLESHIP, 

Woodstock College , Howard Co., Md. 


THE 

Messenger of the Sacred Heart. 


This monthly bulletin of the Apostleship of 
Prayer , issued in several languages, is the organ 
of the Association. 

It publishes every month a “ General Inten- 
tion,” which is recommended to the prayers of 
the millions of members now enrolled in the 
Apostolate in every part of the world. 

It also gives a monthly list of “ Petitions,” 
and another long and encouraging list of 
“ Favors granted.” 

Its object is to promote the devotion to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus in connection with the 
Association of the Apostleship of Prayer, and 
otherwise to foster piety and devotion. 

The American edition, which now enters 
upon the ninth year of its existence, is recom- 
mended to the clients of the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, and especially to the members of the 
Association of the Apostleship. 

.Terms of subscription to the Messenger, 
$2.00 per annum, in advance. 

PUBLICATION OFFICE, 

Woodstock College, Howard County, Md. 






























* 






























































CATECHISM 


OF THE 

Apostleship of Prayer. 


By a Missionary Priest. 


From, the Messenger of the Sacred Heart. 


BALTIMORE: 

Published by John Murphy & Co. 

182 Baltimore Street. 

1 8 7 4 . 


Cntereb artorbing to &et of Congress, in tf)£ gear 1873, bg 
B. SESTINI, S. J. 

in Vgt Cffice of tfre librarian of Congress, at 5®as{?ington, 


PREFACE. 


E know no better preface to the follow- 



* * ing pages than the few remarks handed 
by their author, when submitting them for 
approval, to the Director-General of the As- 
sociation of the Apostleship of Prayer. 

He speaks as follows : 

“To-day, the Apostleship of Prayer is 
established in many portions of the Christian 
world, and counts six million names on its 
roll of membership. So widely established 
and so Catholic an association should have its 
catechism. This idea, which I had long en- 
tertained, you were pleased to approve highly 
when we met at Rome. I have the honor at 
present of submitting to your reverence the 
result of my labors. 

“In the catechetical form adopted, I ad- 
dress those who are prevented from reading 
the larger works which so fully set forth the 
object of our Association, and the style is in- 


lii 


iv 


PREFACE. 


telligible even to the least cultivated minds. 
Those, to whom is intrusted the care of in- 
structing others, will find in the following 
pages the substantial idea of the Apostle- 
ship, expressed in as comprehensive and 
clear a manner as possible. So often have 
I had occasion to admire the rare success of 
such catechetical instructions for instilling 
into young minds a knowledge and esteem 
of pious objects, that I promise myself not 
a little good from this poor effort of mine to 
advance the interests of the Sacred Heart 
and to enlarge the useful sphere now filled 
by the Apostleship of Prayer.” 


CONTENTS 


PART FIRST. 

The Apostleship of Prayer Considered as 
a Private Devotion. 

LESSON PAGE 

I. Nature and Object of the Apostleship of 

Prayer 7 

II. The Efficacy of Prayer when Employed in 
Advancing the Interests of the Heart of 
Jesus 11 

III. How easy is the Practice of Prayer in favor 

of the Interests of the Sacred Heart. . 15 

IV. Advantages of the Apostleship of Prayer. 20 

V. Continuation of the same subject . . 28 

PART SECOND. 

The Apostleship of Prayer Considered as 
an Association. 

I. Nature of this Association, and its Efficacy 
in Advancing the Interests of the Divine 
Heart . . . . . . .32 

II. Continuation of the preceding subject . 36 

1 * v 


vi 


CONTENTS. 


LESSON PAGE 

III. The Facility of Discharging the Duties of 

the Apostleship of Prayer considered as 
an Association 40 

IV. The Utility of certain Pious Organizations 

for rendering more Efficacious the Apos- 
tleship of Prayer .... 44 

V. Advantages of the Apostleship of Prayer 
considered as an Association . . .48 

VI. Continuation of the preceding subject . 51 


CATECHISM OF THE 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


PAKT FIKST. 

The .Apostleship of Prayer Con- 
sidered as a Private Devotion. 

Lesson I . — Nature and Object of the Apostle- 
ship of Prayer. 

Question. In what does the Apostleship 
of Prayer consist f 

Answer. It consists in making the in- 
terests of the Heart of Jesus our special 
charge, and in striving by all means, but 
chiefly by prayer, to advance them. 

Q. What is meant by making the interests 
of the Heart of Jesus our own t 

A. It is to busy ourselves in what this 
Heart concerns itself for, to desire what It 
desires and to seek what It seeks. 

7 


8 


CATECHISM OF THE 


Q. Has then the Heart of Jesus special 
interests f 

A. Most certainly, as have all loving 
hearts ; for every living heart, there are 
events which affect it in a special manner, 
which contribute either to its advantage or 
to its honor. 

Q. Will you quote some examples ? 

A. Willingly. A mother’s heart has, as 
its special interests, the health and happi- 
ness of her children ; a friend’s heart, the 
welfare of a friend. The sick man seeks 
his cure; the prisoner, his deliverance; 
the merchant, success in trade; and the 
scholar, progress in his studies : in a word, 
every heart has its wants, its desires, and 
its interests. 

Q. What then are the interests of the 
Heart of Jesus f 

A. The glory of the Father and the sal- 
vation of souls. 

Q. How do you know this f 

A. Jesus said at different times : I came 
down from heaven not to do my own will, 
hut the will of him that sent me. Now this 
is the will of him that sent me, the Father : 


APOSTLESHIP OF PEAYEK. 


9 


that all that he hath given me, I lose not 
thereof, hut raise it up again at the last day* 
In this is my Father glorified, that you bring 
forth very much fruit and become my disci- 
ples . f I am come to send fire on the earth, 
and what will I but that, it be kindled ?% 
The Son of Man is come to seek and to save 
that which was lost.§ I am come, that they 
{my sheep ) may have life, and may have it 
more abundantly. || 

These texts and others of similar im- 
port abundantly show us that the glory 
of His Father, which is promoted by the 
salvation of souls, is the primary interest 
of Jesus Christ. For this object He be- 
came incarnate, toiled on earth, suffered, 
died, and now lives His wonderful life in 
the Eucharist. In the tabernacle, as on 
the cross, His Heart at each pulsation 
cries out, Sitio, I thirst for souls ! 

Q. Is not the triumph of the Church and 
the Holy See among the great interests of 
the Saviour’s Heart f 

A. Without doubt; but the Church and 

* St. John vi. X Luke xii. || John x 
f lb. xv. § lb. xix. 


10 


CATECHISM OF THE 


the Holy See continue on earth the mis- 
sion of Jesus, the salvation of souls. 
Around this one object centre all the in- 
terests of Jesus and His Church. 

Q. The Apostleship of Prayer, you say , 
seeks to advance the interests of the Heart 
of Jesus. Can it effect this f 

A. Certainly; for we have it in our 
power to promote in many ways the sal- 
vation of souls. 

Q. How can this be done f 
A. By word, in causing God to be 
known and loved; by the pen, in publish- 
ing to the world the little we fathom of 
His perfections, and by instructing men 
in their duties ; by good example, in glori- 
fying God in our exterior life, and by 
leading others to praiseworthy imitation 
of our good works ; so that in all things 
He will be honored. 

Q. It is especially by prayer, you say , 
that the Apostleship of Prayer advances the 
interests of the Heart of Jesus f 

A. Prayer is certainly the chief instru- 
ment at our disposal, and from it the 
league receives its name. 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


11 


Lesson II. — The efficacy of Prayer when Em- 
ployed in Advancing the interests of the Heart 
of Jesus. 

Question. Is prayer an efficacious means 
of promoting the interests of the Sacred 
Heart f 

Answer. Without doubt it is the most 
powerful of all means to procure God’s 
glory in the salvation of souls. 

Q. What is needed for the salvation of a 
soul f 

A. Sanctifying or habitual grace. Only 
this can render souls pleasing to God and 
worthy of eternal life. 

Q. What is necessary to enrich souls with 
sanctifying grace, to restore it to those that 
have lost it, and to preserve, foster and in- 
crease it in those that possess it ? 

A. There is needed a series of special 
favors in which the soul is aided by God ; 
that is to say, a chain of graces, which are 
called actual. For example, St. Augustin 
was grovelling in vice and groping in 
error. Little by little he came to realize 
the falsity of the doctrines which he held ; 
he left his native country where evil com- 


12 


CATECHISM OF THE 


panions betrayed him into sin, and went to 
Milan, where the holy Bishop Ambrose in- 
structed him. Having one day heard a 
mysterious voice, he entered into himself, 
he prayed, he wept, he broke the bonds of 
sins that held him captive, he was con- 
verted and he became a saint. All these 
various circumstances that influenced his 
conduct, these many interior illuminations, 
these strong inspirations, were bestowed on 
him by the God of mercies. They were 
actual graces. 

Q. As sanctifying grace is necessary for 
the salvation of souls, and as this is obtained, 
preserved and recovered, if lost,' by the help 
of actual grace, the best means of procuring 
the salvation of souls would be anything that 
most effectually obtains for us actual grace. 

A. Very true, and prayer is this very 
means. Scripture, tradition, theology and 
the practice of the saints declare this 
truth, which is not less certainly contained 
in the promise of our Lord Himself. What- 
soever you ask the Father in My name, 
He will grant it to you. 

Q. Since prayer can so infallibly obtain 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


13 


actual grace, how does it happen that sinners 
who pray even fervently are not converted f 
A. The fault is not the inefficacy of 
prayer ; grace is always granted, but it 
knocks at the door of the heart, seeking 
free admission: it never enters by violence. 

Q. To know then for whom to pray, we 
should first know who will correspond to the 
graces that may he bestowed in answer to our 
prayers. 

A. This is neither necessary nor possi- 
ble. That obstinacy of heart which one 
grace may have failed to overcome, a 
second may conquer. We must pray al- 
ways. Besides, precisely because we do 
not know the dispositions of souls or the 
cooperation with grace which they may 
be prepared to show, we should exclude no 
one from the benefit of our prayers. So 
says St. Thomas. It is likewise the in- 
junction of St Paul : I desire that suppli- 
cations ? prayers, intercessions and thanks- 
givings he made for all men. 

Q. Can you furnish any proofs of the effi- 
cacy of prayer that is made for others t 
A. There is nothing easier. The annals 
2 — Apos. 


14 


CATECHISM OF THE 


of the Arch-confraternity of our Lady of 
Victories, for our times, and ecclesiastical 
history, for past ages, are full of facts that 
establish this point beyond question. Not 
a few festivals of the Church owe their 
origin to miracles obtained by prayer, and 
to confine ourselves to scriptural facts, did 
not Abraham secure for doomed Sodom 
the most favorable conditions? did not 
the prayer of Aaron arrest the terrible 
scourge that was chastising a rebellious 
people? and did not the unceasing suppli- 
cations of Moses force God to suspend the 
decree of extermination that was on the 
point of being hurled against wicked 
Israel ? 

Q. Can prayer further all the interests of 
the Heart of Jesus t 

A. All, without exception, since all are 
embodied in that one desire which makes 
Him yearn for the salvation of souls, and 
prayer, as we have just seen, is sovereignly 
efficacious in obtaining this end. 

Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer ; 
not the conversion of sinners, the enkind- 
ling of fervor in tepid souls, the reconcili- 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 15 

ation of infidels and- heretics to the true 
Church, the perseverance of the just, the 
happy death of departing souls, the prop- 
agation of the Faith, the prosperity and 
spread of the Holy Church, the triumph 
of the Holy See, the sanctification of the 
clergy, the holiness of religious orders, the 
success of missions, the relief of departed 
souls. 

Nothing, in a word, is too great for 
prayer to achieve, so powerful is its ac- 
tion. Whatever faith can desire, prayer 
can secure. 


Lesson III. — How easy is the Practice of 
Prayer in favor of the interests of the Sacred 
Heart. 

Question. What are the prayers which so 
effectually advance the interests of the Sa- 
cred Heart f 

Answer. According to St. Francis de 
Sales, who follows in this particular the 
ancient Fathers of the Church, there are 
three sorts of prayers ; vocal prayer, men- 
tal prayer and living prayer. Each of 


16 


CATECHISM OF THE 


these three can do much to advance the 
interests of Jesus. 

Q. What is vocal prayer f 
A. That which employs external for- 
mulas. Under this head are embraced 
not only what we commonly understand 
by prayers and ejaculations, but likewise 
the public offices of the Church, as Mass 
and the Canonical Hours. All these 
prayers can serve the interests of Jesus, 
when offered with that intention. 

Q. What is mental prayer f 
A. That made interiorly without the 
use of words, either by meditation, con- 
templation or prompt elevation of the soul 
to God. Herein are contained treasures 
of resources that may be applied to the 
practice we are striving to advance. 

Q. What do you understand by living 
prayer ? 

A. I understand, with St. Francis de 
Sales, all good actions offered to God for 
the purpose of gaining some favor. 

Q. What is requisite that these actions 
should constitute living prayer f 

A. Two conditions must be verified in 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


17 


them. First, the actions must themselves 
be good, or at least indifferent. Secondly, 
they must have an impetr atony value, that 
is, be capable of securing favors from God. 

Q. What gives actions this impetratory 
value t 

A. It is enough to offer them to God, at 
the beginning of the day, with the inten- 
tion of meriting the favor we desire, and 
not to retract, during the course of the 
day, this primitive intention, by substitut- 
ing some contrary motive, as, for instance, 
t of vanity, sensuality or the like. These 
unworthy motives, it must be observed, 
destroy the spiritual value of those actions 
only which they directly influence. The 
others remain meritorious by virtue of the 
general offering made at the commeiice- 
ment of the day. 

Q. Would it not be advisable to renew 
this intention before each action of the day? 

A, Certainly, the oftener it be renewed 
the greater the fervor and efficacy of this 
living prayer. 

Q. Are all our actions , in which these 
. conditions are verified, of equal merit ? 

2* B 


18 


CATECHISM OF THE 


A. No. Supposing that all are per- 
formed with equal fervor, the sacrifices 
which we impose on ourselves and those 
which come to us from the hand of God, 
when borne with an intention of meriting 
some favor, are by far the most efficacious 
prayer we can make. It is good to pray, 
better still to work, but best of all to 
suffer for Christ. 

Q. Is it necessary to be in the state of 
grace , that our actions may have this virtue 
of prayer f 

A. The state of grace is necessary to 
make our' actions, properly speaking, meri- 
torious, that is deserving of eternal life. It 
is not required to give them this impetra- 
tory value, that is to enable us to merit 
sorfte particular favor from God’s mercy. 
However, purity of conscience renders all 
our prayers more agreeable to God and 
more influential with His Divine Heart. 

Q. Everybody, then, can do something for 
the interests of Jesus ? 

A. Everybody ; for every one can offer, 
with this object in view, some prayer, 
vocal, mental or active. 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


19 


Q. Can one at all times pray for these 
sacred interests of Jesus f 

A. At all times, since it is always in 
our power to offer prayer of some kind to 
God. 

A child, for instance, may offer during 
his morning prayer the actions and little 
trials of the day in accordance with the 
intention of the Sacred Heart, with the 
view of promoting its holy desires ; with- 
out further thought, the day goes by and 
his actions consecrated to God are mean- 
while ascending to the divine throne in 
the incense of prayer, and falling again in 
the dews of grace on his path. Every 
syllable that he spells, every line that he 
draws, his words, his labors, his recrea- 
tions, his meals, his little trials, his very 
sleep, in a word, sin excepted, everything 
that he does is presented by his Angel as 
a grateful prayer to the Father of Mercies. 

Here, then, is the real Philosopher’s 
Stone , which, according to ancient super- 
stition, turned what it touched into gold. 
We have only to will it, and, by a daily 
offering, the intention transforms our daily 


20 


CATECHISM OF THE 


actions and sufferings into golden prayers, 
in exchange for which God gives us pre- 
cious treasures of grace. 


Lesson IY. — Advantages of the Apostleship 
of Prayer. 

Question. I understand prayer is all 
powerful for obtaining grace, and with 
grace, salvation for ourselves and others ; 
moreover, prayer is very easily m,ade, since 
by a simple direction of intention, before be - 
ginning our actions, they assume the char - 
acter of most earnest prayer. But why is it, 
that instead of employing for our own ad- 
vantage this precious instrument of grace , 
we are exhorted in the Apostleship of Prayer 
to use it for advancing the interests of the 
Heart of Jesus t 

Answer. Could we use it in behalf of a 
more worthy object? Did not Jesus die 
for its that we might live, not for ourselves 
but for Him f * Do we not often sacrifice 
our dearest personal interests for the sake 


* II Cor. v. 


APOSTLESHIP OF PPAYEK. 


21 


of parents, friends, aye, and even of 
strangers, and shall we refuse to do as 
much for Jesus, our beloved Brother, our 
Saviour, our most faithful Friend ? 

Q. Does, then, Jesus really require us to 
sacrifice for Sim our spiritual interests t 
A. Not at all, for we can find no safer 
means of promoting our spiritual welfare 
than by laboring for the Heart of Jesus, 
and consecrating to its divine interests the 
• fruit of our daily prayers ; in other words, 
by practising the Apostleship of Prayer. 

Q. What are the advantages derived from 
the practice of the Apostleship of Prayer f 
A. I cannot enumerate all ; chiefly, 
however, the Apostleship of Prayer ren- 
ders a Christian life more real , more 
pious, more meritorious, more easy, more 
happy. 

Q. How does the Apostleship make a 
Christian life more real f 
A By nurturing the true spirit of 
l Christianity. 

' Q. What is this spirit t 

A. A spirit of union with Jesus. “Be 
ye penetrated with the sentiment of Jesus 


22 


CATECHISM OF THE 


Christ,” wrote St. Paul to the faithful. Is 
not this devotion of our lives and labors 
to the interests of Jesus Christ an excel- 
lent method of uniting ourselves to Him, 
and of becoming penetrated with His 
spirit ? 

So thought and acted those models of 
Christian life, the saints, and their holy 
Queen, who laid to heart the interests of 
Jesus rather than their own, and gave 
freely their labors, and sometimes their 
lives, to secure the triumph of these same 
holy interests. 

Q. How does the Apostleship of Prayer 
render a Christian life more pious f 

A. True piety consists in friendship for 
Jesus, in devotion to His Sacred Heart. 
Now, what friendship more sincere than 
to procure for Him the one object of His 
desires? What devotion more real than 
to make His interests our own? More- 
over, unless we possess at least the Spirit 
of the Apostleship of Prayer, true piety 
becomes impossible. Who would dare to 
say to another : I am your friend ; I am 
devoted to your welfare; and yet content- 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


23 


ing himself, without ever asking and re- 
ceiving help in his own necessities, would 
never bestir himself in the least for his 
friend, never make the smallest exertion 
to procure for him what he wished most 
to possess ? 

Q. This would be purest egotism, would 
it not f 

A. So it seems so me, and without hesi- 
tation I should call egotistical that devo- 
tion which is limited to securing its own 
selfish projects, whether spiritual or not, 
without ever displaying any zeal for the 
Saviour’s interests, as the Apostle com- 
plains.* 

Q. How does the Apostleship of Prayer 
render a Christian life more meritorious f 

A. By enriching with the most precious 
worth, for eternity, all the actions of the 
just souls who practise it. 

Q. Will you explain this doctrine to me t 

A. Every action performed in the state 
of grace, and with a supernatural motive, 
is meritorious ; in other words, deserving 
of an eternal reward; and this reward 
* Philipp, ii. 


24 


CATECHISM OF THE 


will be greater in proportion to the excel- 
lence of the act ; that is to say, the more 
agreeable to God the motive has been. 
Now, by practising the Apostleship of 
Prayer, and offering in the interests of 
the Sacred Heart our labors, prayers and 
sufferings, we animate them with the no- 
blest of intentions, we offer them from the 
best of motives, namely, pure charity 
towards God and our neighbors. 

Q. But in thus transforming , as you say , 
our labors into prayers for the profit of the 
Heart of Jesus, do we not abandon the 
merit of our works ? 

A. Not at all : we sacrifice to the Sacred 
Heart the impetratory fruit of our prayer, 
that is their efficacy in obtaining favors 
from God ; but their merit, that is the 
title they establish to an eternal reward, 
we retain, and this merit is rather in- 
creased in proportion to the generosity of 
our offering. To resume the example of 
the child, who offers in the morning the 
day’s actions and prayers in the interest 
of the Sacred Heart ; not only do his most 
trifling actions ascend direct to Heaven as 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


25 


powerful prayer in behalf of that object 
to which he has devoted them, but they 
are entered on the Book of Life as claims 
to an exceeding reward for eternity. 

Q. How does the Apostleship of Prayer 
make a Christian life more easy t 

A. By rendering all duties easy, by 
means of the reflection that the least sac- 
rifices greatly advance the interests of 
Jesus, and procure the salvation of souls 
that would otherwise perish. 

Q. Will you illustrate this by an ex- 
ample f 

A. Willingly. Let us take a scholar at 
his desk, his copy-book before him. He 
is strongly tempted to idleness, and in- 
clined to waste his time in frivolous amuse- 
ments, or to disturb his companions by 
forbidden converse with them. At the 
same instant, in China, is dying a pagan 
infant, who needs but one actual grace to 
receive that of baptism. Very soon a mis- 
sionary will, in fact, pass the place where 
it is lying, and if he find the child alone, 
will baptize it. But these few minutes of 
life are a grace, and notwithstanding its 
3 — 4.pos. 


26 


CATECHISM OF THE 


burning desire for the salvation of souls, 
the Sacred Heart will grant it, as we 
have seen, in response to some prayer. 
Suddenly our scholar recollects himself, 
and his practice of the Apostleship of 
Prayer. “ Alas ! ” he says, “ one prayer, 
one act of sacrifice, would profit the 
Heart of Jesus, and I am hesitating ; I 
am trifling with this inclination to idle- 
ness ; my God, I offer my labor for the in- 
tentions of Thy Sacred Heart;” and so he 
returns to his duty. “Saved!” cries out 
the guardian angel of the Chinese infant. 
“ Lord, Thou wantedst but one prayer to 
grant my client the grace of baptism. A 
child in Europe has made this prayer, he 
has offered Thee this sacrifice ; grant my 
child the favor of baptism.” The mis- 
sionary passing by, beholds the dying in- 
fant, pours the water on his head, and the 
innocent flies to heaven, where its prayers 
never tire in behalf of the scholar to whom 
it owes the happiness it has received. 

Q. Ah, if such he the fruit of our prayers 
and sacrifices, how generously and fervently 
should we not make them. 


AP08TLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


27 


A. “Faith,” in the words of St. Paul,- 
“ is the conviction of things that appear 
not.” The picture which I have drawn 
above exemplifies a real truth, which in 
our temptations we should not lose sight 
of. Every sacrifice, properly directed, 
may become a prayer ; every prayer ob- 
tains a grace, and every grace contributes, 
and may even at times suffice, to procure 
the salvation of a soul. How is it possi- 
ble to believe these truths, and still nig- 
gardly refuse our prayers, and cowardly 
shrink from paltry sacrifices ? 

Q. How. does the Apostleship of Prayer 
make a Christian life happy f 

A. By destroying the three mortal ene- 
mies of Christian happiness — egotism, 
tepidity, and the consciousness of being 
useless in life. 

The egotist is not happy. “He who 
seeks himself finds himself indeed, but to 
his own loss.” The Apostleship of Prayer 
replaces this selfishness by devotion to the 
interest of Christ and of souls. 

The tepid soul is never at rest with it- 
self, for it blushes at its shameful degra- 


28 


CATECHISM OF THE 


dation, and is never at peace with God, 
Who, it knows, is disgusted with its cow- 
ardice. The Apostleship of Prayer ban- 
ishes tepidity, by giving to our fervor the 
impulse of the noblest of motives, the 
sight of souls expecting their salvation 
from our generous efforts. 

Finally, he is certainly not happy who 
feels that he neither profits others nor 
benefits himself. The Apostleship of 
Prayer applies the remedy, it utilizes 
everything, rest, recreation, and suffering, 
by devoting it to the noblest of objects, 
Jesus Christ. 


Lesson V . — Continuation of the same subject. 

Question. You have said that the surest 
means of promoting our own welfare is to 
embrace and advance the interests of Jesus. 
How do you prove this t 

Answer. The preceding lesson has shown 
this to be true ; for are not our true inter- 
ests, those of eternity, promoted by a prac- 
tice which enriches us with new merit by 
animating the actions of our lives with the 


APOSTLES HIP OF PRAYER. 


29 


spirit of Christ, and which renders easy 
all sacrifices and the accomplishment of 
every duty ? 

Q. But might we not more surely promote 
our own spiritual welfare by reserving to our- 
selves the profit of those prayers and labors 
which the Apostleship counsels us to offer to 
God according to the intentions of Jesus f 

A. No. The surest means of securing 
favors is to draw down on ourselves the 
special blessing of their Giver, and how 
can we more surely do this than by conse- 
crating ourselves unreservedly to His 
glory ? Our interests can never prosper 
more than when in His infinitely wise, 
powerful and loving hands. How can 
our Saviour refuse to take in charge our 
interests, when He sees us so entirely de- 
voted to His? He is never outdone in 
generosity, and will make good His own 
words, he that shall lose his life for my 
sake , shall find it. 

St. Ignatius understood this well : “ Were 
I actually dying,” said he, “and certain 
of my salvation, I should nevertheless 
willingly risk it by remaining on earth, 
3 * 


/ 


30 


CATECHISM OF THE 


provided I could thereby gain more souls 
to Jesus Christ/’ “ But,” replied one who 
had heard him, “would not this be im- 
prudent, to expose one’s own salvation for 
that of another?” “What,” answered 
the Saint, “ is God a tyrant ? Think you 
that He would see me risking my salvation 
for the welfare of souls, and allow me to 
fall into hell ? ” 

Q. Would not at least our temporal in - 
terests suffer , were we to consecrate to the in- 
tentions of the Sacred Heart all our prayers f 

A. On the contrary. The Apostleship 
of Prayer is one of the best forms of de- 
votion to the Heart of Jesus, since it con- 
sists in adopting His sentiments, further- 
ing His desires and striving to secure His 
triumph in all things. Justly may the 
members of the Apostleship count on the 
promises made by our Lord to souls who 
would devote their lives to His Heart. 
Hear what was pledged by the divine lips 
to B. Margaret Mary : 

“ I will give them every grace necessary 
to their state of life ; peace shall reign in 
their families; they shall be comforted 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


31 


and sustained in their trials, and I will 
be their refuge in life and more especially 
in death. All their undertakings shall 
prosper.” 

Q. By consecrating to the interests of the 
Sacred Heart our prayers and labors , are 
we prevented from praying for special favors 
as our own necessity and duty to others may 
seem to dictate f 

A. By no means; our prayers have 
even greater weight with our Saviour, 
who has been made, so to speak, our 
debtor. In case, however, that we desire 
special graces for ourselves and others, 
the surest means of attaining them is to 
redouble our fervor in prayer for the in- 
terests of Jesus. 

Q. Why is this ? 

A. Because all graces really useful to 
us make part of the interests of Jesus 
Christ’s Heart, and thus fall within the 
object of our prayers. Thus in a manner, 
we imitate the boatmen, of whom St. 
Francis de Sales speaks, who make port 
by turning their backs on the goal and 
rowing with ceaseless perseverance. 


I 



PART SECOND. 

The Apostleship of Prayer Consid- 
ered as an Association. 

Lesson I. — Nature of this Association, and 
its Efficacy in Advancing the Interests of the 
Divine Heart. 

Question. May not the Apostleship of 
Prayer he practised as a private devotion f 
Answer. Certainly, and with great fruit ; 
but when practised in and under the form 
of the Association which bears this title, it 
offers more numerous and far greater ad- 
vantages. 

Q. There exists, then, an Association en- 
titled the Apostleship of Prayer f 

A. Yes; it was founded in 1846, at 
Puy, under the patronage of Notre-Dame 
de France, and has been inscribed with 
numerous indulgences by His Holiness 
Pius IX., gloriously reigning, who ap- 
proved and confirmed its constitutions by 
a decree of July 27, 1866, a favor rarely 
granted to organizations of this character. 

32 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


33 


Q. What is the nature of this Associa- 
tion f 

A. It is a League of Prayers, for fur- 
thering the interests of Christ’s Divine 
Heart. 

Q. What do you understand by a League 
of Prayers f 

A. I mean a union of faithful souls 
who pray in common for some specified 
object. 

Q. For what purpose has this League been 
founded f 

A. To multiply the prayers offered in 
behalf of the Sacred Heart’s interests, and 
to give them greater efficacy. 

Q. How does this League multiply prayers t 

A. By exacting from its members a 
generous devotion to the Divine Heart, by 
frequently recalling to their minds the 
power of prayer and the faculty of mak- 
ing it, and by suggesting to them easy 
practices for transforming all their good 
works into very useful prayers. 

Q. How can this League increase the 
efficacy of prayer made in behalf of Jesus ’ 
interests t 

C 


34 


CATECHISM OF THE 


A. From two sources ; it enriches prayer 
with that strength that is drawn from the 
association of pious souls, and with that 
especially which results from close union 
with the Divine Heart. 

Q. Has prayer made by pious souls in 
common this additional strength f 

A. Yes ; as a rope woven of three strands 
is far stronger than three strands sepa- 
rated. Jesus Christ has given this pledge. 
Again I say to you, that if two of you shall 
agree upon earth, concerning anything what - 
soever they shall ask, it shall be done for 
them by my Father who is in heaven. For 
where there are two or three gathered to- 
gether in my name , there am i in the 

MIDST OF THEM. 

Q. Jesus Christ is then present in the 
midst of the souls united in this Association f 

A. He is, and ceaselessly does He pre- 
sent to His Father their prayers in union 
with those of His own Heart. 

Q. Is the Heart of Jesus thus ceaselessly 
engaged in prayer f 

A. It is ; and at every instant of the day 
It immolates Itself on our altars to appease 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


35 


the Father’s justice and to secure benefits 
for us. In Heaven, says St. Paul, He is 
always living to make intercession for us. 

Q. Is it not enough that Jesus prays t 
Do His prayers need the aid that is given by 
an association ? 

A. His prayers being of infinite value 
need no aid of ours, but rather that our 
own prayers may be heard, they should be 
united to those which He makes. Ash 
and ye shall receive, said Jesus, that is to 
say, “if you wish to receive, pray, but in 
union with me; thus your prayers will be 
all powerful. If you remain in me ... . 
you shall ash whatever you will and it shall 
be done to you.” The best means of unit- 
ing our petitions to those of Christ’s Heart 
is to offer them in our common prayer ; 
there, according to His promise, Christ 
will be in the midst of the petitioners, and 
their prayers shall be heard. 

Q. The Sacred Heart is then the strength 
of the Association of the Apostleship of 
Prayer ? 

A. It is its strength, centre and source 
of fervor. It is a censer filled with burn- 


36 


CATECHISM OF THE 


in g coals and sweet perfumes. The prayers 
of the Associates are grains of incense. 
Isolated, they emit but a faint odor ; cast 
them together into that Heart aglow with 
Divine Love, and their individual per- 
fumes unite in one single exquisite aroma, 
that of omnipotent prayer. 


Lesson II . — Continuation of the preceding 
subject. 

Question. Can you illustrate in any other 
manner the fitness of the Association of the 
Apostleship of Prayer for advancing the 
interests of the Divine Heart ? 

Answer. Perhaps by the following para- 
ble or allegory, whose meaning will be 
rapidly drawn from the preceding lessons. 

A prince shared the throne of his father, 
and enjoyed in common with him an im- 
mense fortune. Of a most benevolent dis- 
position, this prince busied himself very 
minutely for his subjects ; he looked to all 
their wants, and burned with a desire to 
give them relief from his inexhaustible 
riches. An irrevocable law nevertheless 


APOSTLES HIP OF PRAYER. 


37 


tied his hands. He could give them 
nothing except in exchange for a bond 
signed by his father. His heart grieved 
to see his generous wishes thus trammelled. 
Touched with pity for their distressed 
condition, he formed a society among a 
chosen number of his subjects. Each 
member of this society pledged himself to 
obtain every day a certain number of these 
bonds and put them in a common treasury. 
A bank was thus established, a fund 
formed which was at the disposal of the 
prince, and at pleasure he could dispense 
his riches to the needy. Under this alle- 
gory lies the idea of the Apostleship of 
Prayer. 

Q. Who is the prince f 

A. Jesus, our Saviour, the eternal Son 
of God, in whom are hidden all the treas- 
ures of wisdom and knowledge, . ... the 
unsearchable riches of Christ ; . for in 

Him dwelleth all the fulness of the God- 
head corporally. Infinitely benevolent and 
infinitely rich, He wishes the salvation of 
all His subjects. He desires for them a 
supernatural life; and still He sees every- 
4 — Apos. 


38 


CATECHISM OE THE 


where souls without number stripped of 
sanctifying grace, in danger of perishing, 
or at least of losing that measure of glory 
intended for them. 

Q. Why cannot He secure to them this 
supernatural and divine life by sharing 
with them the abundant graces that are treas- 
ured in His Sacred Heart f 

A. He is like the prince in the parable. 
In the words of an eminent theologian, 
the hands of Jesus are tied. According 
to the ordinary laws of divine Providence, 
but one actual grace is given gratuitously ; 
this one is the inspiration to pray. To 
force us to have recourse to Him, Jesus 
bestows other actual graces only in re- 
sponse to prayer ; He does not give them, 
He sells them. 

Q. In exchange for what ? 

A. For a note or bond whose value is 
guaranteed by the divine promise. Amen 
I say to you , ask and ye shall receive. 

You may fanoy then the grief of the 
Divine Heart as it daily contemplates the 
wants of so many souls, yearns to satisfy 
these wants by pouring out with lavish 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


39 


hand saving graces, and despite all this, 
for lack of prayers, is constrained to with- 
hold them, or at least to bestow them 
sparingly. 

Q. Who are the chosen subjects that hurry 
to the aid of their benevolent prince f 

A. The members of the Apostleship of 
Prayer. Each member, on his admission 
into this Holy League, takes upon himself 
the obligation of transforming his daily 
prayers, labors and sufferings into peti- 
tions, and these he devotes to the interests 
of the Divine Heart. To increase their 
impetratory power, he unites them to the 
prayers of his associates and to the suppli- 
cations which the Sacred Heart is cease- 
lessly offering to the Heavenly Father, 
and thus a common fund or treasury of 
prayers is established and placed at the 
disposition of our Lord. 

Q. What name has this common fund f 

A. It is called the Treasury of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus , since it is, in fact, a sacred 
deposit of which Jesus alone has the dis- 
posal. 

Q. In what manner does Jesus make this 
disposition f 


40 CATECHISM OF THE 

A. We do not know in detail His inten- 
tions, but we know that they are almost 
infinite in number, since they regard all 
the possible wants of souls. To satisfy all 
these intentions, innumerable prayers are 
required, and these are found in the daily 
offerings made throughout the world by 
the members of the Apostleship. 

Q. I understand the parable illustrative 
of this pious work; but tell me, in a word, the 
difference between the Apostleship practised 
as a private devotion and the same work ex- 
ercised in the Association which bears its title. 

A. The spirit, essence and object are 
the same in both cases. The difference 
lies in this, that the Association gives to 
this excellent devotion an organization 
and, above all, a special efficacy. 


Lesson III. — The Facility of Discharging 
the Duties of the Apostleship of Prayer con- 
sidered as an Association. 

Question. Is it very difficult to become a 
member of this Holy League of the Apostle- 
ship f 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


41 


Answer. There is nothing easier ; only 
two very simple conditions are to be com- 
plied with. 

Q. And what are these t 

A. To be enrolled as a member of this 
Holy League, and “ to make our own the 
interests of the Sacred Heart, by offering 
at least once a day our prayers, labors and 
sufferings for those intentions for which 
this Sacred Heart prays and immolates it- 
self; in particular for the whole church, 
for the Sovereign Pontiff, and for those 
urgent intentions monthly recommended 
by the Director-General of the Associa- 
tion.” ( Constitutions approved by the 
Holy See, Art. 2.) 

Q. How may this enrolment as a member 
be made f 

A. In one of two ways. There is the 
collective affiliation intended for religious 
associations, such as congregations, sodali- 
ties, hospitals, parishes, religious commu- 
nities, etc. ; and there is personal enrol- 
ment for individuals. 

Q. How may this collective affiliation be 
secured f 
4 * 


42 


CATECHISM OF THE 


A. By a diploma wKich the paTish, the 
community, or the society, desirous of 
being associated in this good work, should 
procure from the Director-General of the 
Apostleship of Prayer or from the Central 
Directors appointed b v him. 

Q. What is the nature of this collective 
affiliation t Has it the effect of admitting 
to the advantages of the Apostleship all the 
members of the society thus affiliated f 

A. This collective affiliation confers on a 
parish or community the right of enrolling 
members in a Register which it opens in 
virtue of the Diploma received ; but it 
does not directly admit individual mem- 
bers for this personal enrolment is neces- 
sary. 

Q. How is this personal enrolment to be 
made t 

A. By inscribing the name of the ap- 
plicant in the Register of some parish or 
community already affiliated to the Apos- 
tleship. The new member must likewise 
receive gratuitously a certificate of mem- 
bership. Where it is not practicable, as 
in foreign missions, this double formality 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


43 


is not necessary: in other cases it must 
be observed, even when the applicants be- 
long to associations already affiliated. As 
these two conditions must be complied 
with in order that the indulgences of the 
Apostleship may be obtained, it is well al- 
ways to instruct applicants regarding their 
importance. 

Q. Is there any prescribed formula for 
making the daily offering of our prayers 
and labors f 

A. None. An excellent practice would 
be to add to the morning prayers the little 
offering published every month at the end 
of The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. 

“ Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer to Thee, 
through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
all my prayers, actions and sufferings of 
this day, in union with all the intentions 
for which Thou dost constantly immolate 
Thyself on our altars. I offer them par- 
ticularly for the intentions recommended to 
the Associates for this month and for this 
day. Amen.” 

Q. Is this offering a vow f 

A. No. Nothing in the constitutions, 


44 


CATECHISM OF THE 


customs or practices of the Apostleship 
bind under pain of sin. 

Q. Is it good to renew this offering during 
the day, at least hy a short ejaculation f 

A. It is, especially at the beginning of 
our principal actions, before our prayers, 
and when some sacrifice presents itself to 
us. It is quite evident, indeed, that the 
merit of all our labors and their efficacy 
in aid of souls will be the greater, the 
oftener and the more fervently we renew 
our consecration of them to the Sacred 
Heart. 


Lesson IV. — The Utility of certain Pious Or- 
ganizations for rendering more Efficacious the 
Apostleship of Prayer. 

Question. Is the daily offering of our ac- 
tions to the Heart of Jesus the only practice 
binding on the members of the Apostleship f 
Answer. This daily oblation is in reality 
the “ only condition imposed on the mem- 
bers, in order that they may enjoy the ad- 
vantages granted by the Holy See to the 
Apostleship of Prayer.” ( Statutes , Art. 2.) 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


45 


It must be confessed, however, that in view 
of human weakness, this essential practice 
must be upheld and fortified by certain 
accessory helps, drawn chiefly from pious 
organizations : otherwise, it is to be feared 
that this daily offering, in its unchanging 
simplicity, would soon fail to make any 
deep impression on the heart, and perhaps 
be forgotten entirely. 

Q. I understand the force of this reply as 
it regards all except very fervent souls. Still , 
may not these pious organizations, if adopted, 
endanger that grand character of simpli- 
city which distinguishes the Apostleship of 
Prayer ? 

A. No, if every one chooses that practice 
which is best suited to his condition of life. 
The means of organizing the Apostleship 
are very numerous. As all are aware, its 
essential act is the daily offering of our 
actions to the Heart of Jesus, which be- 
comes at once an act of love for God, of 
zeal for His glory, and of prayer for His 
Church and its necessities. A devotion so 
Christian, so apostolic, so simple, and at 
the same time so fruitful, may very readily 


46 


CATECHISM OF THE 


be grafted on almost any other practice of 
piety, and while enjoying this latter’s sup- 
port, confer upon it very precious advan- 
tages. 

Q. Which are the best means for effect- 
ing this organization of the Apostleship of 
Prayer ? 

A. It is not easy to give a definite an- 
swer, so much depends on the circum- 
stances of the case. We may remark in 
general : 

1st. That to render the Apostleship 
really fruitful, one or two methods of or- 
ganizing it must be adopted; 2dly, that 
not many various organizations should be 
allied to it at one time. 

The more ordinary and fruitful methods 
of promoting unity of organizations among 
the members are : 

1. The circulation of The Messenger of 
the Sacred Heart, together with the publi- 
cation of the monthly and daily intentions 
to be prayed for by the members of the 
Apostleship. 

2. The union of Associates in Rosary 
bands. In each band the fifteen myste- 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


47 


ries of the rosary are distributed monthly, 
and each member is required to recite once 
the Our Father , ten times the Hail Mary , 
and once the Glory he to the Father , and 
also to make a special invocation to the 
Sacred Heart in behalf of the Holy 
Father’s intention. 

3. The Treasury of the Divine 
Heart, which issues lists of pious works 
to be performed in honor of the Sacred 
Heart. This is a very practical method 
of carrying out the pious suggestions 
made in previous numbers of this work. 

4. The Communion of Reparation, 
which groups the members into sections of 
seven or thirty, for a week or for a month, 
so that daily one communion is made in 
reparation for the outrages offered our 
Lord in His Sacrament of Love. 

To these four methods may be added the 
Papal Zouaves of Prayer, an association 
established in many educational houses, 
from which great advantages are derived 
by the young scholars. More details rel- 
ative to the various pious associations 
may be found in the Little Manual of the 


48 


CATECHISM OF THE 


Apostleship of Prayer and in other special 
publications. 


Lesson Y. — Advantages of the Apostleship of 
Prayer considered as an Association. 

Question. What are the advantages of the 
Apostleship considered as an Association ? 

Answer. Chiefly of two kinds ; some 
concern the interests of the Heart of Jesus, 
others regard the welfare of the individual 
members of this pious League. 

Q. Which are those that affect the interests 
of the Sacred Heart f 

A. This Association, as we have hereto- 
fore observed, greatly promotes the in- 
terests of the Divine Heart by rendering 
more efficacious and more numerous the 
prayers and works offered for this end : I 
may add that it renders them more fer- 
vent. 

Q. How do you show this ? 

A. It excites generosity by the spirit of 
emulation, enkindles ardor by fostering a 
spirit of union in pious efforts, and awakens 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


49 


attention by keeping^constantly before the 
mind the great end aimed at. 

Q. How does this spirit of emulation 
render the Associates more generous f 
A. The fear of falling behind others in 
the service of this Divine Heart stimulates 
and even forces them to generous efforts. 
The soldier, who by himself might have 
declined the battle, when animated by the 
example of his comrades, marches boldly 
under fire, and, unwilling to seem cow- 
ardly, bravely holds his post in the fore- 
most rank. In the service of the Sacred 
Heart, we see the same fact verified : an 
Associate reading, for example, some of 
the heroic incidents often related in The 
Messenger of the Sacred Heart , blushes at 
his own cowardice, and cries out with St. 
Augustine, “ What others have done, can- 
not I do ? ” and so his prayers, labors and 
sacrifices are redoubled. 

Q. In what manner does the fact of being 
associated with others enkindle fresh ardor 
among the members of the League f 

A. The soldier, who, detailed as a soli- 
tary scout, cannot see the effect of his 
4 — Apos. D 


50 


CATECHISM OF THE 


shots, is soon discouraged. On the con- 
trary, when he marches with his platoon, 
and can realize the effectiveness of his 
shots by the number of the enemy’s slain, 
without stopping to reckon them, he 
rapidly multiplies his shots. The Apostle 
of Prayer when alone, is tempted to de- 
spondency by the feebleness of his efforts ; 
but seeing himself sustained on all sides 
by Associates, and finding his prayers and 
labors supplemented by their exertions, he 
combats strenuously, as a good soldier of 
Christ, with redoubled ardor. 

Q. How is it, that by keeping in view a 
fixed object , the League of the Sacred Heart 
arouses the attention of its members f 

A. Every month certain special inten- 
tions, or, in other words, the most pressing 
interests of the Sacred Heart are recom- 
mended to the prayers of the members. 
It is certain that when for some one urgent 
necessity the Associates pray, labor and 
suffer, their fervor is excited and their at- 
tention concentrated. 

Q. These special intentions may, it is true , 
excite interest in the Associates of the Apos - 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


51 


tleship ; but are they not also prejudicial to 
the true spirit of the Association, which seems 
to require a full consecration of prayers and 
labors to the interests of the Divine Heart, 
leaving it to this Heart to make the special 
applications of them t 

A. These special intentions detract in 
no way from the general and unreserved 
offering of our works to the Heart of 
Jesus. As, however, among the many in- 
terests of that Divine Heart, some at times 
more especially claim our attention: to 
further these, our heartiest efforts should 
be made ; just as in battle a skilful general 
directs his chief attacks against some few 
points that are keys to the enemy’s posi- 
tion. 


Lesson VI. — Continuation of the preceding 
subject. 

Question. I understand how the , interests 
of Jesus may be greatly promoted by the 
Apostleship, since it increases the number, 
the efficacy and the fervor of the prayers 
offered in their behalf; but how can it further 


52 


CATECHISM OF THE 


the attainments of what we need for our- 
selves f 

Answer. Recall to mind the advantages 
that flow from the Apostleship when prac- 
tised as a private devotion, and then re- 
flect that these advantages are greatly 
multiplied when prayers and good works 
are offered by persons united in an associ- 
ation. The advantages immediately de- 
rived from the Apostleship are, that it 
honors its members and enriches them. 

Q. How does the Apostleship of Prayer 
honor its members ? 

A. By assigning them a position in a 
League, which is honorable on account of 
the chosen souls who form it, and by rea- 
son of the glorious interests which it de- 
fends. If in an army it be reckoned 
glorious to serve in picked corps and in 
posts of danger, what signal glory must it 
not be for a soldier of the church militant 
to find himself battling in a league which 
counts among its members so many thou- 
sand choice souls, fervent religious, heroic 
missionaries, priests and pontiffs, and shar- 
ing in their labors, prayers and sacrifices. 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


53 


Q. How does the Apostleship enrich its 
members f 

A. With the indulgences that it enables 
them to gain, and with the share it gives 
them in the merits, prayers and good 
works of many religious orders and con- 
gregations. 

Q. What are the indulgences granted to 
the members of the Apostleship f 

A. Principally of two kinds : some pro- 
per to the Apostleship itself ; others pro- 
per to the Arch - Confraternity of the 
Sacred Heart, to which the Apostleship is 
affiliated. 

Q. What indulgences are proper to the 
Apostleship, and what are the conditions ne- 
cessary for gaining them t 

A. Plenary indulgences are granted, 1st, 
on the day of admission ; 2d, on the feasts 
of the Sacred Heart and of the Immacu- 
late Conception ; 3d, on one Friday in each 
month, and on one other day, at the option 
of each member. 

To gain these indulgences, it is neces- 
sary, in addition to the ordinary condition 
of visiting some church and praying for 
5* 


54 


CATECHISM OF THE 


the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, 
that a person should belong to the Apos- 
tleship of Prayer and fulfil the one es- 
sential duty of the Association by making 
the daily offering of prayers and good 
works for the interests of the Sacred 
Heart. 

A partial indulgence of one hundred 
.days is attached to any prayer or good 
work offered for the intentions announced 
at the beginning of each month, and pub- 
lished in The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. 

Q. What indulgences are proper to the 
Arch- Confraternity of the Sacred Heart , and 
what conditions are required for gaining 
them ? 

A. The list of these indulgences is too 
extended to be given here ; they may be 
found in the Little Manual. 

Each Associate of the Apostleship is by 
reason of his membership aggregated to 
the Arch-Confraternity. To gain all the 
indulgences granted to this latter body, it 
is necessary daily to say the Pater , Ave, 
and Credo, together with the aspiration, 
Heart of Jesus , grant that I may love Thee 


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER. 


55 


daily more and more. It is sufficient to 
offer with this intention the Pater, Ave, 
and Credo, usually recited in morning or 
evening prayers. 

Q. Are all these indulgences applicable to 
the souls in Purgatory $ 

A. All ; not only our prayers, but espe- 
cially the indulgences we gain, greatly aid 
our departed brethren. 

Q. What means the communion of privi- 
leges enjoyed with many religious orders by 
the Apostleship of Prayer t 

A. Many of the orders in the church 
have admitted the members of the Apos- 
tleship to the ranks of those for whom, in 
a special manner, they offer their prayers 
and good works. 

No doubt it has often chanced that you 
have recommended yourself to the prayers 
of some fervent soul, some holy religious, 
and you have felt happy when you received 
the response : “ Yes, I will pray for you.” 
Well, as a member of the Apostleship of 
Prayer, you have thousands of religious 
daily offering for your supplication and 
good works. 


56 


CATECHISM OF PRAYER. 


Q. If such be the advantages accruing 
from membership in this Association, how 
does it happen that so few, comparatively , en- 
roll themselves in its ranks f 

A. Unfortunately, it is too little known. 
To know this practice is to love and em- 
brace it. Hence the reason why in these 
instructions we have undertaken to explain 
the workings of this Association. Apply 
yourself at once to so salutary a devotion; 
seek to enlist others in the same pious 
work ; organize those who are already en- 
rolled ; spread among them the accessory 
devotions mentioned in these instructions, 
and endeavor to enkindle true zeal in all 
hearts. Be generous and faithful in your 
love for this Sacred Heart; and, laden 
with blessings, you will say of the Apos- 
tleship which has drawn you so closely to 
it, what Solomon said of wisdom: “All 
good things came to me together with her. 
For she is an infinite treasure to men, 
which they that use become the friends 
of God.” (Wis. vii. 11, 14.) 

THE END. 


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